Swisspreneur Show

Swisspreneur Show

Swisspreneur

The Swisspreneur Show is a podcast series of in-depth, candid conversations with some of Switzerland’s most successful founders, business leaders and innovators. By getting to the heart of these leaders’ stories - their successes, their failures, their must-have advice and greatest regrets - we hope to both inspire and guide the next generation of Swiss entrepreneurs. Each episode deconstructs and showcases one person’s personal and professional background and provides advice and recommendations for existing and aspiring entrepreneurs in Switzerland.

EP #477 - Simon Michel: Swiss Politics & Running a Large Medtech Business

EP #477 - Simon Michel: Swiss Politics & Running a Large Medtech Business

Timestamps:7:55 - Is Ypsomed just an insulin company?10:12 - Selling B2B and B2C simultaneously18:33 - Doing an IPO in 200420:20 - How to make your stock 7x22:47 - Getting into regional politicsThis episode was produced in collaboration with startup days, taking place this year on May 14th 2025. Click ⁠here⁠ to purchase your ticket.About Simon Michel:Simon Michel is the CEO of Ypsomed, the leading developer and manufacturer of injection systems for self-medication. He is also the head of Swiss S

Feb 23, • 40:43

EP #476 - Thomas Schori: How to Recycle Plastic & Save the Oceans

EP #476 - Thomas Schori: How to Recycle Plastic & Save the Oceans

Timestamps:5:15 - When tide ocean became a full-time project14:50 - What happens to tide ocean when we run out of plastic?28:26 - Plastic vs glass or paper recycling32:36 - How tide ocean pays and incentives employees from developing countries46:51 - Do startup competitions actually help startups? This episode was co-produced with SEF.Growth, the Swiss Economic Forum's Growth initiative to support Swiss startups and SMEs with growth plans free of charge.Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.

Feb 19, • 57:38

EP #475 - Manuel Hartmann: Why Trust is Broken in Sales – And How to Restore It

EP #475 - Manuel Hartmann: Why Trust is Broken in Sales – And How to Restore It

Timestamps:4:48 - What is ‘speed of trust’?7:40 - Why AI is a trust-breaker12:35 - Cultivating customer trust23:15 - Hubspot taking market share33:43 - Learning from other people’s mistakesThis episode was co-produced by the SalesPlaybook, DACHs' leading B2B Sales & HubSpot agency for fast-growing 7-8 figure entrepreneurs to increase pipeline, revenue & sales efficiency. About Manuel Hartmann:Manuel Hartmann is the founder and CEO of SalesPlaybook, a sales agency with 7-figure annual revenue hel

Feb 16, • 44:23

EP #473 - Alessandra Agnello: Investing In Swiss Founders Across The Globe

EP #473 - Alessandra Agnello: Investing In Swiss Founders Across The Globe

Timestamps:1:54 - Doing a master’s degree in China 17:25 - Is VC money right for every startup?23:30 - How to get Alessandra’s attention as a startup 33:32 - What makes Alessandra invest42:10 - Investment red flagsThis episode was produced in collaboration with startup days, taking place this year on May 14th 2025. Click⁠here⁠ to purchase your ticket.About Alessandra Agnello:Alessandra Agnello is the principal atACE Ventures, a VC fund backing early stage Swiss tech founders across the globe. Sh

Feb 9, • 1:00:59

EP #472 - Victoria Ransom: Building An Incredible Culture, In-Person or Remotely

EP #472 - Victoria Ransom: Building An Incredible Culture, In-Person or Remotely

Timestamps: 6:13 - Why culture can’t be copied 12:24 - Hiring fast and well 15:30 - Creating a sense of belonging 17:36 - Making tough decisions for the sake of culture 20:36 - Being clear about your values About Victoria Ransom: Victoria Ransom is the co-founder of Wildfire, a social marketing software-as-a-service company which was acquired by Google, and of Prisma, a global virtual school (grades 4-12). She holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and worked as a Financial Analyst at Morgan

Feb 5, • 36:03

EP #472 - The Successful Contovista Exit & Building a Climate Tech Startup

EP #472 - The Successful Contovista Exit & Building a Climate Tech Startup

Timestamps: 7:35 - The successful Contovista exit 12:30 - Contovista investors getting a 33x return 17:17 - How do you reach product market fit? 31:05 - Why Gian started NORM 42:10 - Energy efficiency and climate change Resources Mentioned: The 4 Levels of PMF, First Round Capital About Gian Reto à Porta: Gian Reto à Porta is a serial entrepreneur and business Angel. He co-founded and successfully exited Contovista, a 2013 fintech pioneer, and nowadays is active as a co-founder and CEO at Norm

Feb 5, • 53:46

EP #471 - Harnessing Human Motion Analysis to Create a Digital Personal Coach

EP #471 - Harnessing Human Motion Analysis to Create a Digital Personal Coach

Timestamps: 13:18 - Splitting shares with your co-founders 24:42 - Have they hit product-market fit? 30:48 - Getting Alex Ilic as an advisor and investor 34:43 - Giving an advisor phantom stocks 38:20 - Getting acquired by BowFlex About Joel Roos & Ben Simon: Joel Roos and Ben Simon are the co-founders of VAY, a startup offering motion tracking technology for fitness and physical therapy. Joel holds a MSc in Robotics Systems and Control from ETH and worked at Rapyuta Robotics before co-founding

Jan 29, • 1:25:56

EP #470 - Apple, AI & Silicon Valley with Guy Kawasaki

EP #470 - Apple, AI & Silicon Valley with Guy Kawasaki

Timestamps: 3:26 - Getting an MBA or building a startup? 8:44 - Guy’s irrational love for Apple 14:05 - Giving startups advice in exchange for stocks 22:00 - What makes a remarkable person? About Guy Kawasaki: Guy Kawasaki is the chief evangelist of Canva and the creator of the Remarkable People podcast. He is an executive fellow of the Haas School of Business (UC Berkeley), and adjunct professor of the University of New South Wales. He was the chief evangelist of Apple and a trustee of the Wik

Jan 22, • 41:31

EP #469 - Hans-Peter Strebel: Das MS Medikament aus Muri AG

EP #469 - Hans-Peter Strebel: Das MS Medikament aus Muri AG

Timestamps: 4:19 - Die Forschung nach einem Psoriasis Medikament 9:45 - Biogen beteiligt sich an der Forschung nach MS Medikament 32:22 - Das OYM -  Ein wissenschaftlicher Approach zum Spitzensport 44:05 - Das Businessmodell hinter dem OYM 48:50 - Erfolg trotz Gegenwind - gestärkt durch die Kritiker Über Hans-Peter Strebel: Hans-Peter Strebel ist der Gründer von Fumapharm, einem Unternehmen, das ein bahnbrechendes Medikament zur Behandlung von Psoriasis und Multipler Sklerose (MS)

Jan 15, • 1:02:15

EP # 468 - Laurent Decrue & Boris Manhart: Have You Done Your Homework on Product-Market Fit?

EP # 468 - Laurent Decrue & Boris Manhart: Have You Done Your Homework on Product-Market Fit?

Timestamps: 10:22 - Defining and testing the Ideal Customer Profile 13:11 - Does ICP vary from B2B to B2C? 20:40 - Metrics that prove you’ve hit PMF 30:29 - When is it time to start scaling? About Laurent Decrue & Boris Manhart: Laurent Decrue is the co-founder of the moving company MOVU and the software company Holycode, and the former CEO at Bexio. Currently he is active as CFO and co-CEO at Holycode. He holds an MBA from the University of Basel and previously worked at DeinDeal. Boris Ma

Jan 8, • 46:57

EP #467 - Britta Thiele-Klapproth & Tobias Britt: Should Swiss Startups Expand to Germany First?

EP #467 - Britta Thiele-Klapproth & Tobias Britt: Should Swiss Startups Expand to Germany First?

Timestamps: 12:15 - Why expand to Germany first  16:19 - The differences between Germany and Switzerland 19:15 - The minimum budget for expanding to Germany 20:42 - Changing pricing for the German market 26:49 - The main challenge of expanding to Germany This episode was co-produced with Switzerland Global Enterprise. About Britta Thiele-Klapproth & Tobias Britt: Britta Thiele-Klapproth is the Head of Export and Investment Promotion at Swiss Business Hub Germany, helping Swiss companies do

Jan 5, • 36:07

EP #466 - Abouzar Rahmani: How One Company is Disrupting the Food Industry

EP #466 - Abouzar Rahmani: How One Company is Disrupting the Food Industry

Timestamps: 1:34 - Over 100 years of family entrepreneurship 11:40 - Why start foodyoung? 17:34 - Changes in the food industry 29:12 - Expanding to the US 35:42 - European and American investors About Abouzar Rahmani: Abouzar Rahmani is the co-founder and CEO of FoodYoung, a consumer food innovation company developing high-quality, clean, and sustainable food solutions. He is originally from Iran and holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Management from UBI Business School, B

Jan 1, • 1:06:59

EP #465 - Barbara Horvath: How to Give Robots a New Skin with Printed Electronics

EP #465 - Barbara Horvath: How to Give Robots a New Skin with Printed Electronics

Timestamps: 10:34 - What is high precision electronics manufacturing? 17:52 - How to understand the problems of potential customers 22:03 - Giving robots proximity sensors 26:55 - Inveel’s fundraising strategy 33:38 - The money candle and the motivation candle  This episode was produced in collaboration with startup days, taking place next year on May 14th 2025. Click ⁠here⁠ to purchase your ticket. About Barbara Horvath: Barbara Horvath is the co-founder and CEO of Inveel, a startup providing

Dec 29, 2024 • 42:36

EP #464 - Samy Liechti: Pioneering E-Commerce & Subscriptions in the 90s

EP #464 - Samy Liechti: Pioneering E-Commerce & Subscriptions in the 90s

Timestamps: 2:08 - An infamous meeting with Japanese business people 12:13 - A sock subscription in the 90s? 19:50 - Getting raw materials from all over the globe 37:51 - Tracking customer metrics in the 90s 39:33 - Bootstrapping in e-commerce  This episode was co-produced with EO Zürich. Check out their upcoming event, Entrepreneurs Summit 2025. About Samy Liechti: Samy Liechti is a co-founder and the former CEO of BLACKSOCKS, the Swiss e-commerce sock company that invented the “sockscription”

Dec 25, 2024 • 55:44

EP #463 - Frédéric Loizeau: How Photonic Integrated Circuits Will Supercharge AI

EP #463 - Frédéric Loizeau: How Photonic Integrated Circuits Will Supercharge AI

Timestamps: 4:35 - Similarities between entrepreneurship and academia 9:02 - What are photonic integrated circuits? 16:07 - Approaching customers from different industries 17:09 - Why Lightium is still in beta stage 18:51 - What business model do they plan on adopting? This episode was produced in collaboration with startup days, taking place next year on May 14th 2025. Click ⁠here⁠ to purchase your ticket. About Frédéric Loizeau: Frédéric Loizeau is the co-founder and CRO of Lightium, a Swiss

Dec 22, 2024 • 34:31

EP #462 - Marko Bjelonic: The Swiss Robotics Company Jeff Bezos Invested In

EP #462 - Marko Bjelonic: The Swiss Robotics Company Jeff Bezos Invested In

Timestamps: 3:52 - Is Switzerland a better version of Germany? 20:55 - Choosing an industry out of many use cases  24:06 - A business model for robotics 26:28 - Doing software and hardware simultaneously 31:51 - Getting Jeff Bezos as an investor  About Marko Bjelonic: ⁠Marko Bjelonic⁠ is the co-founder and CEO of ⁠Swiss-Mile⁠, a deep tech ETH spin-off connecting AI with the physical world through autonomous machines. He holds a PhD in Robotics from ETH and worked as a researcher at NCCR Robotic

Dec 18, 2024 • 49:29

EP #461 - Lida Ahmadi & Adam Korczak: Top Skills a Startup Founder Must Have

EP #461 - Lida Ahmadi & Adam Korczak: Top Skills a Startup Founder Must Have

Timestamps: 8:48 - Building a startup in tissue engineering 11:23 - Building a foodtech venture studio 15:49 - The underrated challenge of making phone calls every day 23:44 - Why having an analytical mind is crucial 26:41 - The importance of mentorship  This episode was co-produced with the ⁠⁠Female Founders Initiative⁠⁠. The conversation originally took place at the Rise Up Summit 2024. Answer our quick questionnaire about entrepreneurial skills here. About Lida Ahmadi & Adam Korczak: L

Dec 11, 2024 • 43:44

EP #460 - Cyrill Gyger: How to Sell 3D Radar Tech to Public Hospitals

EP #460 - Cyrill Gyger: How to Sell 3D Radar Tech to Public Hospitals

Timestamps: 8:43 - Aligning co-founder incentives with company success  18:21 - How can radars track our breathing? 25:45 - Partnering up with Innosuisse 30:25 - B2B selling to hospitals 33:47 - Selling to an industry in crisis This episode was co-produced with Innosuisse. About Cyrill Gyger: Cyrill Gyger is the co-founder and CEO of QUMEA, a company that offers digital mobility monitoring for patient safety. Cyrill holds an MSc in Engineering from Berner Fachhochschule BFH and worked for Zühl

Dec 8, 2024 • 59:48

EP #459 - Sergio P. Ermotti: Führung, Leidenschaft und die Zukunft der UBS

EP #459 - Sergio P. Ermotti: Führung, Leidenschaft und die Zukunft der UBS

Timestamps: 04:02 - Die Integration der Credit Suisse – ein Mammutprojekt 06:27 - Vom Fussballtraum zum Banker 19:32 - Leadership bei UBS: Strategie und Glaubwürdigkeit 29:36 - Verantwortung für die Schweiz und die Gesellschaft 35:23 - Sacrifice for Success: Ermottis Rat an junge Talente Über Sergio P. Ermotti: Sergio P. Ermotti, Group CEO der UBS, ist eine der prägendsten Persönlichkeiten der globalen Finanzwelt. Geboren und aufgewachsen im Tessin, träumte er zunächst von einer

Dec 4, 2024 • 38:02

EP #458 - Florim Cuculi: A Doctor With Entrepreneurial Blood

EP #458 - Florim Cuculi: A Doctor With Entrepreneurial Blood

Timestamps: 6:17 - Why go into medicine 11:24 - How to be a doctor and an entrepreneur 14:49 - Being a successful leader 31:11 - Staying healthy and stress-free 34:30 - Being an influencer doctor Resources Mentioned: Homo Faber, Max Frisch This episode was co-produced with

Dec 1, 2024 • 45:34

EP #457 - Nikolai Schröder: How to Stand Out in the Car Subscription Market

EP #457 - Nikolai Schröder: How to Stand Out in the Car Subscription Market

Timestamps: 13:40 - The rental car industry 20:16 - Why rent a car? 22:00 - Do people wreck FINN cars? 26:25 - The FINN car insurance 37:42 - Equity vs debt financing About Nikolai Schröder: Nikolai Schröder is the co-founder and COO of FINN, a German car subscription startup. He holds a MSc in Industrial Engineering from FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg and previously worked as a consultant at the Boston Consulting Group before starting FINN in 2019. FINN offers a car subscription which includes everythi

Nov 27, 2024 • 51:37

EP#456 - Leonie Flückiger: Why Luxury Watches Need NFTs

EP#456 - Leonie Flückiger: Why Luxury Watches Need NFTs

Timestamps: 5:19 - Helvetia Insurance teams up with ETH Juniors 7:22 - Accessing the Swiss luxury watch market 10:45 - A business model for luxury watch NFTs 14:47 - Acquiring customers 20:15 - Why Leonie wanted her business to be acquired This episode was co-produced with the ⁠Female Founders Initiative⁠. About Leonie Flückiger: Leonie Flückiger is a co-founder of Adresta, a company which creates digital certificates for luxury watches. She holds a MSc in Micro- and Nanosystems from ETH and p

Nov 24, 2024 • 42:44

EP #455 - Joanne Sieber: Switzerland, The Leading Deep Tech Nation

EP #455 - Joanne Sieber: Switzerland, The Leading Deep Tech Nation

Timestamps: 10:13 - Deep Tech Nation’s ambitious goals for Switzerland  13:48 - Venture Hub Switzerland  19:07 - What’s the Scaleup Booster? 27:35 - How is Deep Tech Nation financed? 38:12 - Do all Swiss startups need to make it big? This episode was co-produced with the Deep Tech Nation Switzerland Foundation. About Joanne Sieber: Joanne Sieber is the CEO of the Deep Tech Nation Switzerland Foundation, which acts as a catalyst for the Swiss innovation ecosystem. She holds an MA in Internation

Nov 20, 2024 • 42:56

EP #454 - Pascal Jenny: Building a Sustainable Tourism Business in Arosa

EP #454 - Pascal Jenny: Building a Sustainable Tourism Business in Arosa

Timestamps: 3:31 - Athletes are their own entrepreneurs 10:01 - Upfront investments for tourism infrastructure 15:44 - How to host a good event  21:29 - What does sustainability mean in business? 26:30 - Sustainability is not a marketing topic This episode was co-produced by smzh, your independent go-to partner in all matters relating to finance. About Pascal Jenny: Pascal Jenny is the former managing director and current president at Arosa Tourismus. He holds a BA in business administration f

Nov 17, 2024 • 46:09

EP #453 - Samir Ounzain: Unlocking the Power of the Dark Genome

EP #453 - Samir Ounzain: Unlocking the Power of the Dark Genome

Timestamps: 5:22 - From the UK to Switzerland 11:29 - The dark genome and chronic diseases 17:35 - HTX001 and heart failure 26:44 - Sticking to grants at first 34:32 - Managing two separate teams This episode was sponsored by smzh, your independent go-to partner in all matters relating to finance. About Samir Ounzain: Samir Ounzain is the co-founder and CEO of HAYA Therapeutics, a precision medicines company targeting the regulatory genome for cardiovascular diseases, fibrosis and cancer. He h

Nov 13, 2024 • 41:27

EP #452 - Pascal Weber: Why AI Will Free You From Repetitive Work

EP #452 - Pascal Weber: Why AI Will Free You From Repetitive Work

Timestamps: 1:53 - Accidentally inventing neural networks 7:19 - What does “manukai” mean? 19:44 - Competition in the AI industry 27:35 - Fundraising for AI 32:34 - Does being a spin-off pay off? This episode was produced in collaboration with startup days, taking place next year on May 14th 2025. Click ⁠here⁠ to purchase your ticket. About Pascal Weber: Pascal Weber is the co-founder and CEO of Manukai, an ETH spin-off automating repetitive programming tasks by leveraging available production

Nov 10, 2024 • 41:18

EP #451 - Nicole Kleger: Why Lab Grown Meat Won’t Kill You

EP #451 - Nicole Kleger: Why Lab Grown Meat Won’t Kill You

Timestamps: 8:20 - The current state of the lab meat industry  14:10 - Does lab meat have the same nutritional value & taste?  15:40 - Sallea’s go-to-market strategy 17:45 - When all your partners are also startups 20:30 - What happens to the farmers? This episode was sponsored by NordPass. Use code “swisspreneur” at checkout to get 30% off Business and Teams plans. About Nicole Kleger: Nicole Kleger is the co-founder and CTO at sallea, a biotech startup enabling the cultivation of high-va

Nov 7, 2024 • 30:50

EP #450 - Gzim Hasani: Building A Holistic Financial Advisory Company

EP #450 - Gzim Hasani: Building A Holistic Financial Advisory Company

Timestamps: 2:14 - Why go into banking in 2008? 10:52 - Working with college students and retirees 20:00 - How does smzh make money? 24:41 - Sponsoring events to acquire new clients 44:20 - Getting to 60K clients This episode was co-produced with ⁠smzh⁠. About Gzim Hasani: Gzim Hasani is the CEO of and a partner at smzh, an independent financial advisory company headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland. He holds a MSc in Banking and Finance and started his career working for Credit Suisse and Juli

Nov 3, 2024 • 53:20

EP #449 - Jürg Jost: Time-of-Flight Tech, from Here to the Moon

EP #449 - Jürg Jost: Time-of-Flight Tech, from Here to the Moon

Timestamps: 8:03 - Time-of-flight technology  15:43 - Whom do semiconductor companies sell to? 19:14 - Changing from CEO to CTO  29:54 - Managing investor expectations 32:54 - Going to the moon Check out our FREE go-to-market masterclass with Ankita Mehta and Soumya Dash. About Jürg Jost: Jürg Jost is the founder, former CEO and current CTO of the semiconductor manufacturer Spacetek Technology. He holds a BSc in Electrical Engineering from Berner Fachhochschule BFH. Prior to starting Spacetek,

Oct 30, 2024 • 47:08

EP #448 - Gaëlle Andreatta: The Alchemists Turning Metal into Foam

EP #448 - Gaëlle Andreatta: The Alchemists Turning Metal into Foam

Timestamps: 4:38 - Gaëlle’s craziest year 9:56 - Turning metal into foam 16:34 - High innovative customers 25:23 - Hiring people as a 6 month year old company 29:03 - Having the team be 2/3s women Check out our FREE go-to-market masterclass. About Gaëlle Andreatta: Gaëlle Andreatta is the co-founder and CTO of apheros, a startup manufacturing metal foams for thermal, catalysis, and battery applications. She holds a PhD in Physics from Pierre and Marie Curie University and an MBA from ETH/HSG.

Oct 23, 2024 • 43:09

EP #447 - Stefan Schärer: Building and Exiting a PropTech Startup in Switzerland

EP #447 - Stefan Schärer: Building and Exiting a PropTech Startup in Switzerland

Timestamps: 3:57 - From neuportal to Houzy 10:20 - Building up new revenue streams over time 13:18 - Is Switzerland too small a market? 20:45 - Getting acquired by UBS and Baloise 32:43 - Did they make money out of the deal? This episode was co-produced with ⁠smzh⁠, your independent go-to partner in all matters relating to finance. About Stefan Schärer: Stefan Schärer is the co-founder and former CEO of the proptech startup Houzy. Stefan previously founded the software company Fairgate and the

Oct 20, 2024 • 47:30

EP #446 - Fabio Ronga: The Hard Road to a $300M Valuation

EP #446 - Fabio Ronga: The Hard Road to a $300M Valuation

Timestamps: 5:20 - Workaholics having fun 15:35 - Market validation 33:33 - Why Switzerland is the best headquarters 46:19 - Instilling company values 54:30 - Selling 100% of your shares About Fabio Ronga: Fabio Ronga is the co-founder and CEO of beqom, a cloud-based compensation management solution. He holds a master's degree in Business Information Systems from HEC Lausanne and previously worked at Hyperion (bought by Oracle) and Outlooksoft (bought by SAP) before starting beqom in 2008. Toge

Oct 16, 2024 • 1:09:21

EP #445 - Chantal Schmelz: Why This Biotech Startup Failed

EP #445 - Chantal Schmelz: Why This Biotech Startup Failed

Timestamps: 9:05 - Chantal’s current startups 13:19 - Why Chantal joined Rheazymes 14:28 - Recycling textiles with enzymes  22:06 - Knowing it was the end 30:59 - Seeing signals early on  This episode was co-produced with the Female Founders Initiative. About Chantal Schmelz: Chantal Schmelz is the Chairwoman of the Board, CFO and now also one of the liquidators of Rheiazymes, a cleantech startup that was aiming to leverage the power of molecular recycling. She holds an MA in Marketing, Servic

Oct 13, 2024 • 47:36

EP #444 - Priyanka Dutta Passecker: What If You Healed Chronic Wounds With a Spray?

EP #444 - Priyanka Dutta Passecker: What If You Healed Chronic Wounds With a Spray?

Check out our FREE go-to-market masterclass with Ankita Mehta and Soumya Dash. Timestamps: 4:19 - Being an immigrant and being an entrepreneur 7:23 - Convincing your boss to help you start a startup 10:30 - What are chronic wounds? 16:10 - Making personalized therapies affordable 24:00 - The long development cycles in biotech About Priyanka Dutta Passecker: Priyanka Dutta Passecker is the co-founder and CEO of Healiva, a biotech startup using advanced cell therapy to treat acute and chronic wo

Oct 9, 2024 • 36:38

EP #443 - Andreas Krümmel: Insurance in Switzerland, From the 80s Until Now

EP #443 - Andreas Krümmel: Insurance in Switzerland, From the 80s Until Now

Timestamps: 6:05 - The value chain of insurance companies  14:26 - Why having a strategy is essential 20:22 - Is Switzerland digitized enough? 24:22 - Is digitization a generational issue? 35:15 - Being a board member at smzh This episode was co-produced with ⁠smzh⁠, your independent go-to partner in all matters relating to finance. About Andreas Krümmel: Andreas Krümmel is the former CEO at Generali Switzerland and a current board member at SMZH, an independent partner in all matters related

Oct 6, 2024 • 47:01

EP #442 - Alessandro Ofner: How This Microcapsule Tech Can Change Pharma, Cosmetics & Cuisine

EP #442 - Alessandro Ofner: How This Microcapsule Tech Can Change Pharma, Cosmetics & Cuisine

Timestamps: 6:45 - What is microencapsulation used for? 13:58 - Choosing a use case vs covering operating expenses 21:53 - Why trust matters most in B2B 27:04 - Why hire an external CEO 28:50 - Founders take themselves too seriously This episode was sponsored by NordPass. Use code “swisspreneur” at checkout to get 30% off Business and Teams plans. About Alessandro Ofner: Alessandro Ofner is the co-founder and co-CEO of Microcaps, a startup developing breakthrough technology to naturally encaps

Oct 2, 2024 • 39:11

EP #441 - Regula Buob: How Coaching Helps Swiss Startups Be Successful

EP #441 - Regula Buob: How Coaching Helps Swiss Startups Be Successful

Timestamps: 3:00 - Are education and entrepreneurship connected?  13:41 - Switzerland needs growth stage funds 26:20 - Failure culture in Switzerland 33:52 - Female entrepreneurship in Switzerland 41:30 - Where is the Swiss startup ecosystem headed? This episode was co-produced with the Female Founders Initiative. About Regula Buob: Regula Buob is the founder of SoftTec, a consultancy that offers services related to both technical and soft skills. She is also a coach for early stage startups a

Sep 29, 2024 • 46:17

EP #440 - Tobias Reichmuth & Marc P. Bernegger: Building Ventures, from Crypto to Longevity

EP #440 - Tobias Reichmuth & Marc P. Bernegger: Building Ventures, from Crypto to Longevity

Timestamps: 7:04 - Tackling a new business topic 18:21 - Getting the incentives right  26:18 - The Maximon business model 34:04 - Maintaining focus as a venture builder 37:09 - Longevity predictions This episode was sponsored by ⁠smzh⁠, your independent go-to partner in all matters relating to finance. About Tobias Reichmuth & Marc P. Bernegger: Tobias Reichmuth and Marc P. Bernegger are two serial entrepreneurs and startup investors who together have built Maximon, an incubator for impact

Sep 25, 2024 • 44:00

EP #439 - Aurelia Frick: How To Make Your Country More Startup-Friendly

EP #439 - Aurelia Frick: How To Make Your Country More Startup-Friendly

Timestamps: 15:12 - Do high income countries neglect culture? 22:59 - Do we need more societal role models?  24:33 - What role does education play? 30:00 - Liechtenstein’s total blackout 45:09 - What threats are coming Switzerland’s way? This episode was co-produced by smzh, your independent go-to partner in all matters relating to finance. About Aurelia Frick: Aurelia Frick is an advisory and board member and the former Foreign Minister of Liechtenstein. She’s got a PhD in Law, but her journe

Sep 22, 2024 • 48:12

EP #438 - Beni Huggel: Wie ein Athlete Mindset im Geschäftsleben nützlich ist

EP #438 - Beni Huggel: Wie ein Athlete Mindset im Geschäftsleben nützlich ist

Timestamps: 0:00 - Die Sinnkriese nach der Karriere 9:20 - Firmen wollen ehemalige Profisportler 20:00 - Das two-sided Platform Model des Athletes Network 32:36 - Was bringt die Zukunft für das Athletes Network Über Beni Huggel: Benni Huggel ist Gründer und Head of Sales bei der Athlete's Network, einer Organisation, die Athleten beim Übergang in ihre Nachsportkarriere unterstützt. Der ehemalige Profifussballer spielte für den FC Basel und die Schweizer Nationalmannschaft, für die er über 4

Sep 18, 2024 • 46:13

EP #437 - Karolis Arbaciauskas: Why Cybersecurity Should Be a Startup’s 1st Priority

EP #437 - Karolis Arbaciauskas: Why Cybersecurity Should Be a Startup’s 1st Priority

Timestamps: 2:10 - Volunteering and traveling  5:46 - Cybersecurity is for everyone 8:58 - Startups and cybersecurity 10:42 - Why do data breaches happen? 21:02 - Is Europe a good place to build a scaleup?  This episode was co-produced/sponsored by NordPass. Use code “swisspreneur” at checkout to get 30% off Business and Teams plans. About Karolis Arbaciauskas: Karolis Arbaciauskas is the Head of Product & Business Development at NordPass, a password management solution and part of Nord Se

Sep 15, 2024 • 35:46

EP #436 - Samantha Anderson: Creating a Circular Economy for Plastics

EP #436 - Samantha Anderson: Creating a Circular Economy for Plastics

Timestamps: 7:13 - The problem with plastic recycling 10:19 - Making plastic recycling cheaper  14:15 - Typical customers for DePoly 18:45 - Going from research to startup 22:12 - Patent strategy and picking your partners About Samantha Anderson: Samantha Anderson is the co-founder and CEO at DePoly, a cleantech startup recycling hard-to-recycle plastic. She’s originally from Canada and holds a PhD in Carbon Capture and Storage from EPFL (her studies being the reason she moved to Switzerland).

Sep 11, 2024 • 36:08

EP #435 - Silvan Leibacher: Making a Cost-Competitive Vegan Egg Alternative

EP #435 - Silvan Leibacher: Making a Cost-Competitive Vegan Egg Alternative

Timestamps: 3:55 - Making a vegan egg replacement in 2024 5:44 - The team behind the food engineering company 8:52 - The B2B clean label food market 10:42 - Solving big supply chain problems  13:20 - Fundraising through the Swisspreneur Syndicate About Silvan Leibacher: Silvan Leibacher is the co-founder and CEO of Eggfield, a startup replacing eggs in the food industry through plant-based and clean label ingredients. He holds a BSc in Business Management from ZHAW, and previously co-founded th

Sep 8, 2024 • 17:00

EP #434 - Johannes Tiefenthaler: Why We Need Carbon Capture to Save the Planet

EP #434 - Johannes Tiefenthaler: Why We Need Carbon Capture to Save the Planet

Timestamps: 11:50 - Why not just emit less carbon? 15:33 - Working with concrete recycling plants  24:18 - Biogas and construction sector 29:19 - Splitting roles as a team About Johannes Tiefenthaler: Johannes Tiefenthaler is the co-founder and co-CEO of neustark, a cleantech startup deploying carbon dioxide removal technology. He holds a PhD from ETH and started neustark back in 2019.  neustark’s ambition is to remove one million tons of CO2 by 2030. After three years in business, neustark has

Sep 4, 2024 • 41:50

EP #433 - Christian Hirt: Virtual Reality Training in Switzerland

EP #433 - Christian Hirt: Virtual Reality Training in Switzerland

Timestamps: 2:33 - Why virtual reality is in a perfect sweet spot 6:10 - The challenge of product-market fit  8:45 - Having a boring competitive landscape 10:29 - Fundraising through the Swisspreneur Syndicate  About Christian Hirt: Christian Hirt is the co-founder and CEO of AtlasVR, a startup harnessing the power of virtual reality for vocational training. He holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from ETH and previously worked for Rheinmetal Air Defence and the Swiss Armed Forces before start

Sep 1, 2024 • 14:39

EP #432 - Francisco Fernandez: The Universal Banking Platform

EP #432 - Francisco Fernandez: The Universal Banking Platform

Timestamps: 1:59 - AI 30 years ago  6:49 - A universal banking platform 12:35 - Leadership is a skillset 27:19 - Being obsessed with building things 39:09 - Employee participation at Avaloq About Francisco Fernandez: Francisco Fernandez is the founder and former CEO of Avaloq, a front-to-back software provider for financial institutions around the world. He holds a MSc in Computer Science from ETH, and was CEO at Avaloq until 2017, chairman from 2018 to 2021, and has been a board member since 2

Aug 28, 2024 • 50:26

EP #431 - Greta Preatoni: How to Relieve Pain For Millions Worldwide

EP #431 - Greta Preatoni: How to Relieve Pain For Millions Worldwide

Timestamps: 4:50 - Developing brain computer interfaces 10:54 - What is diabetic neuropathy? 16:00 - Dealing with a huge market size  17:50 - The challenges of medtech regulation 19:43 - How patent strategy can make or break you This episode was co-produced by the ⁠⁠Female Founders Initiative⁠⁠. About Greta Preatoni: Greta Preatoni is the co-founder and CEO of Mynerva, a startup developing a groundbreaking device for the treatment of neuropathy. She holds a PhD in Neuroengineering from ETH and

Aug 25, 2024 • 44:58

EP #430 - James Rilett: Commodity Trading for the Energy Transition

EP #430 - James Rilett: Commodity Trading for the Energy Transition

Timestamps: 1:50 - Why study history  8:24 - Understanding whether risk is mispriced  13:10 - Relocating people to the UAE  16:12 - Sustainability and commodity trading  21:30 - Ideal time for commodity trading About James Rilett: James Rilett is the CPTO at Open Mineral, a startup offering metal commodity trade solutions enabled by a commercial and market intelligence platform. He holds a BA in International History from The London School of Economics and Political Science and previously worke

Aug 21, 2024 • 28:07

EP #429 - Aurelio Perucca: How to Make Money from Alternative Investments

EP #429 - Aurelio Perucca: How to Make Money from Alternative Investments

Timestamps: 2:36 - What are alternative investments? 8:45 - How much to allocate to alternative investments 11:58 - Alternative investing through Splint Invest 16:10 - Choosing top quality investment opportunities 20:27 - How to sell your splints About Aurelio Perucca: Aurelio Perucca is the co-founder and CEO of Splint Invest, an alternative investment platform. He holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Bern and previously worked for companies like Stryker and PwC before starting Spli

Aug 18, 2024 • 35:46

EP #428 - Jessica Farda: The Future of Green Packaging

EP #428 - Jessica Farda: The Future of Green Packaging

Timestamps: 7:54 - From China to Mexico  16:20 - The plastics lobby 22:52 - Finding out your product already exists 36:33 - The Noriwear business model 43:04 - VC money or grants? Click here to apply to join our Founders Slack. About Jessica Farda: Jessica Farda is the co-founder and CEO of Noriware, a cleantech startup producing sustainable packaging materials based on seaweed. She holds a BA in International Affairs from HSG and founded her company in 2021, straight out of university.  The N

Aug 14, 2024 • 50:13

EP #427: 4 VCs Discuss Growth Stage Funding

EP #427: 4 VCs Discuss Growth Stage Funding

Timestamps: 3:12 - Switzerland is a pharma country 10:20 - When is it time to raise growth VC money? 13:39 - How do investors consider teams? 19:14 - How many shares should you give away? About Kevin Baxpehler, Diego Braguglia, Harald Nieder & Mike Hobmeier: Kevin Baxpehler is the managing partner at Remagine Ventures, a venture capital fund focused on media related technology investments in Israeli startups. Diego Braguglia is the managing partner at VI Partners AG, a Swiss venture capital

Aug 11, 2024 • 25:16

EP #426 - Tillmann Lang: Can Capitalism Save The Planet?

EP #426 - Tillmann Lang: Can Capitalism Save The Planet?

Timestamps: 3:50 - Banks investing in nuclear weapons 9:15 - Capitalism and climate change 13:00 - Inyova measuring impact 15:14 - How Inyova works 27:33 - Global inequality & climate change Click here to apply to join our Founders Slack. About Tillmann Lang: Tillmann Lang is the co-founder and CEO of Inyova Impact Investing, an investment platform that enables you to achieve your financial goals by investing your savings in a way that is 100% consistent with your values and lifestyle. He

Aug 7, 2024 • 57:35

EP #425 - Enzo Wälchli: Building Your Brand on LinkedIn

EP #425 - Enzo Wälchli: Building Your Brand on LinkedIn

Timestamps: 1:55 - Leaving corporates for Anybotics 5:30 - Why LinkedIn matters for sales  10:34 - Best content form on LinkedIn 26:29 - The virality of videos on LinkedIn Click here to apply to join our Founders Slack. About Enzo Wälchli: Enzo Wälchli is the CCO at Anybotics, a company providing autonomous robotic inspection solutions, and LinkedIn’s #1 Swiss voice in robotics. He holds an MA in Accounting and Finance from HSG and previously worked at Sulzer and Hilti Schweiz before joining A

Aug 4, 2024 • 38:21

EP #424 - Marcel Salathé: Universities Are the Key to Switzerland’s Success

EP #424 - Marcel Salathé: Universities Are the Key to Switzerland’s Success

Timestamps: 6:59 - Being humbled by Y Combinator 12:20 - EPFL’s extension school 15:47 - What needs fixing in Switzerland 29:25 - Budget cuts for Swiss universities 39:40 - EPFL AI center This episode was sponsored by NordPass. Use code “swisspreneur” at checkout to get 30% off Business and Teams plans. About Marcel Salathé: Marcel Salathé is a professor at EPFL, startup founder and investor, as well as a digital epidemiologist. He holds a PhD in Biology and Environmental Sciences from ETH, an

Jul 31, 2024 • 48:57

EP #423 - Thomas Crawford & Daniel Delouya: Building AI-Powered Insurance

EP #423 - Thomas Crawford & Daniel Delouya: Building AI-Powered Insurance

Timestamps: 2:00 - The insurance market so far 5:58 - The rise of AI tools 8:15 - Signing the first 4 commercial agreements 8:47 - Finding AI engineering talent 14:11 - Fundraising through the Swisspreneur Syndicate About Thomas Crawford & Daniel Delouya: Thomas Crawford is the co-founder and CEO of Bind, a startup providing AI-powered insurance targeting. He holds a BA in Geography and Economics from Durham University and previously worked for Zurich Insurance before joining Bind as a late co-

Jul 28, 2024 • 19:21

EP #422 - Viktor Calabro: How Coople Became Europe's Largest Digital Staffing Platform

EP #422 - Viktor Calabro: How Coople Became Europe's Largest Digital Staffing Platform

Timestamps: 7:18 - Selling your MVP 12:19 - Finding co-founders 16:24 - Not focusing enough on specific markets  27:05 - Scaling too early & stepping down as CEO 37:02 - Employee share programs About Viktor Calabro: Viktor Calabro is the founder and former CEO of Coople, Europe's largest digital staffing platform. He previously worked for companies like Trivadis AG and Erlebniskultur GmbH before starting Coople in 2009. Coople matches flexible workers to short- and long-term assignments

Jul 24, 2024 • 44:58

EP #421 - Sean Wassermann & Constantin Marakhov: How to Farm Fish Sustainably

EP #421 - Sean Wassermann & Constantin Marakhov: How to Farm Fish Sustainably

Timestamps: 3:01 - Liquid vs solid fermentation  8:08 - A decade in the cannabis industry 17:04 - Who Kidemis’ clients are 19:48 - The challenge of technological development 21:03 - Fundraising through the Swisspreneur Syndicate About Sean Wassermann & Constantin Marakhov: Sean Wassermann is the CTO at Kidemis, a Swiss feedtech company that applies mycelium-based fermentation to upcycle low-value side streams into high value protein for various industries. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Fi

Jul 21, 2024 • 28:15

EP #420 - Yves Béhar: Venture Designing, Entrepreneurship & the Human Spirit

EP #420 - Yves Béhar: Venture Designing, Entrepreneurship & the Human Spirit

Timestamps: 2:35 - How Switzerland fell short in the 90s 15:00 - Suffering and the creative process 23:21 - The challenge of designing an office chair  31:28 - Design or die   33:30 - What is a venture designer? This episode was sponsored by NordPass. Use code “swisspreneur” at checkout to get 30% off Business and Teams plans. About Yves Béhar: Yves Béhar is a venture designer, the founder of the fuseproject, co-founder of TELO, August, and Canopy, and Chief Creative Officer at Jawbone, August

Jul 17, 2024 • 57:45

EP #419 - Myriam Lingg: Making Prosthetics as a For-Profit Company

EP #419 - Myriam Lingg: Making Prosthetics as a For-Profit Company

Timestamps: 2:00 - Getting a PhD in Epidemiology 7:50 - Meeting your co-founder at an ETH project 12:48 - Manufacturing prosthetics 23:43 - Big fundraising challenges 33:59 - Keeping the business floating This episode was co-produced by the ⁠Female Founders Initiative⁠. About Myriam Lingg: Myriam Lingg is the co-founder and CEO of macu4, a startup creating empowering ortho-prosthetics for the forearm and hand. She holds a PhD in Epidemiology from the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute

Jul 14, 2024 • 44:13

EP #418 - Fajer Mushtaq: Deep Climate Tech in Switzerland

EP #418 - Fajer Mushtaq: Deep Climate Tech in Switzerland

Timestamps: 4:00 - Water cleaning in Switzerland 6:42 - Water and the agricultural sector  9:14 - Deep tech requires upfront capital 16:20 - Defending high deep tech valuations 22:14 - Convincing top talent to work for a startup  About Fajer Mushtaq: Fajer Mushtaq is the co-founder and CEO at Oxyle, a cleantech startup with a game-changing water remediation technology. She holds a PhD in Micro- and Nanotechnology for Environmental Remediation from ETH and previously worked there as a BRIDGE Pro

Jul 10, 2024 • 33:56

EP #417 - Céline Udriot & Karine Jeanmonod-Wittmer: How to Break Into the American Market

EP #417 - Céline Udriot & Karine Jeanmonod-Wittmer: How to Break Into the American Market

Timestamps: 6:54 - Why is the US the main startup destination? 8:56 - 3 main challenges of moving to the US 19:40 - Should you move your headquarters?  29:18 - How S-GE can help you in the US  This episode was co-produced with Switzerland Global Enterprise. Click ⁠here⁠ to learn more about the Swisstech pavilion at CES 2025, mentioned at the start of the episode. About Céline Udriot & Karine Jeanmonod-Wittmer: Céline Udriot is the COO at Largo.ai, a startup providing next-generation storyt

Jul 7, 2024 • 40:52

EP #416 - Liliane Ableitner: Exnaton 2 Years On

EP #416 - Liliane Ableitner: Exnaton 2 Years On

Timestamps: 2:20 - Exnaton 2 years on 12:01 - To bootstrap or not to bootstrap 17:42 - Getting funded as a climate tech startup 22:00 - Seasonal impact on client acquisition 23:32 - The benefits of market liberalization About Liliane Ableitner: Liliane Ableitner is the co-founder and CEO of Exnaton, a software provider for energy communities, allowing neighbors to trade renewable energy amongst each other. Before starting Exnaton, Liliane was a Doctoral Researcher at the Bits of Energy Lab at E

Jul 3, 2024 • 31:14

 EP #415 - Matthias Heuberger: Why Breathing is the True Sports Performance Metric

EP #415 - Matthias Heuberger: Why Breathing is the True Sports Performance Metric

Timestamps: 1:17 - Why Matthias started BreezeLabs 4:01 - The Breezelabs team & being an ETH spin-off 6:21 - Dealing with indirect competition 7:25 - Handling the unknown as a founder 8:31 - Fundraising through the Swisspreneur Syndicate About Matthias Heuberger: Matthias Heuberger is the founder and CEO of BreezeLabs, a startup developing a new way to track sports performance. He holds an MA in International Affairs from HSG and previously worked for Zurich Insurance Company and CSS Versic

Jun 30, 2024 • 12:26

EP #414 - Mark Streit & Ben Küffer: Der neue Stern am Schweizer Uhrenhimmel

EP #414 - Mark Streit & Ben Küffer: Der neue Stern am Schweizer Uhrenhimmel

Timestamps: 1:36 - Der steinige Weg von Mark Streit in die NHL 4:32 - Von Breitling zur eigenen Schweizer Uhrenmarke 18:28 - Von wo kennen sich Mark Streit und Ben Küeffer 22:20 - Braucht es wirklich eine neue Schweizer Uhrenmarke? 27:43 - Die Parallelen von Sport und Business This episode was originally a live conversation recorded at a Sport and Business Network event in October 2023 and presented by Properti, your partner for all real estate transactions. About Mark Streit & Ben Küffer:

Jun 27, 2024 • 38:23

EP #413 - Elena Maran & Angela di Rosa: Simplifying AI Compliance & Expanding to New Markets

EP #413 - Elena Maran & Angela di Rosa: Simplifying AI Compliance & Expanding to New Markets

Timestamps: 7:13 - Democratizing AI  9:37 - You’re right to be worried about AI 11:38 - The EU AI Regulation Act 20:13 - Expanding to the US 32:30 - How to enter a new market This episode was co-produced with Switzerland Global Enterprise. Click here to learn more about the SWISS Pavilion at Singapore Fintech Festival 2024, mentioned at the start of the episode. About Elena Maran & Angela di Rosa: Elena Maran is the Global Head Financial Services at Modulos AG, an ETH spin-off developing a

Jun 23, 2024 • 50:39

EP #412 - Franz Bittmann: We Deserve Better Kids’ Clothes

EP #412 - Franz Bittmann: We Deserve Better Kids’ Clothes

Timestamps: 7:12 - Growing a company for 20 years 12:13 - Kids fashion should be beautiful 16:20 - Going into untapped markets 23:16 - PFC-free clothing and why it matters 43:36 - How to define success Click here to apply to join our Founders Slack. About Franz Bittmann: Franz Bittmann is the founder and CEO of namuk, the Swiss premium-quality and sustainable outdoor clothing brand for children. After his Matura, Franz started his first clothing brand, eleven GmbH, back in 1998, which lasted u

Jun 19, 2024 • 47:58

EP #411 - Lea von Bidder: What Happened to AVA Women?

EP #411 - Lea von Bidder: What Happened to AVA Women?

Timestamps: 4:56 - Having an investor back out 11:45 - Was the AVA exit a good or bad thing? 14:55 - Femtech stopped paying salaries and vendors 21:08 - Moving on to expeerly 30:29 - Is bootstrapping more stressful? About Lea von Bidder: Lea von Bidder is the co-founder and former CEO of AVA Women, a femtech startup advancing women’s reproductive health by bringing together artificial intelligence and clinical research. Since 2022 she’s also the founder and CEO at expeerly, a startup which make

Jun 16, 2024 • 40:56

EP #410 - Catarina Dahlin: How Pajamas Play a Role in Optimizing Sleep

EP #410 - Catarina Dahlin: How Pajamas Play a Role in Optimizing Sleep

Timestamps: 1:49 - Innovation in Asian corporates 5:46 - Meeting your husband at a football game 10:30 - Validating pajamas  17:58 - Building a clothing brand in Switzerland 29:34 - The impact of war and weather on sales About Catarina Dahlin: Catarina Dahlin is the co-founder and managing director of Dagsmejan, an innovative and sustainable sleepwear brand. She holds a MSc in Business Administration from Lund University and previously worked at Oriflame Cosmetics and Yves Rocher Group before s

Jun 12, 2024 • 35:18

EP #409 - Flavio Rump: Lessons in Sales & Marketing from a DeinDeal Founder

EP #409 - Flavio Rump: Lessons in Sales & Marketing from a DeinDeal Founder

Timestamps: 4:00 - The true difference between marketing and sales 5:15 - The first DeinDeal customer 9:05 - Google search and Facebook as sales channel 13:23 - Mixing data with intuition  20:41 - Customer development Resources Mentioned: The Four Steps to the Epiphany, Steve Blank The Mom Test, Rob Fitzpatrick This episode was co-produced with UBS and ETH Zurich, as part of the Entrepreneurial Backpack Series. About Flavio Rump: Flavio Rump is one of the co-founders of DeinDeal, the fam

Jun 9, 2024 • 44:23

EP #408 - Miller Mendoza Jiménez: AI to Tackle Global Food Challenges

EP #408 - Miller Mendoza Jiménez: AI to Tackle Global Food Challenges

Timestamps: 8:17 - Building a startup during COVID 16:17 - AI predicting unpredictable climate changes 29:20 - Mindmapping customer problems 44:36 - Bootstrapping when you have to 1:00:11 - Valuing the skill of communication About Miller Mendoza Jiménez: Miller Mendoza Jiménez is the co-founder, CTO and Latin America Regional Manager at Grundo, a technology advisory and analytics startup aimed at tackling sustainability challenges globally that can be solved using open data systems, technology-

Jun 5, 2024 • 1:04:44

EP #407 - Jonas Karklys: How Nord Security Became a Leader in Digital Security & Privacy

EP #407 - Jonas Karklys: How Nord Security Became a Leader in Digital Security & Privacy

Timestamps: 6:32 - Race car driving & building a business 11:55 - How NordPass stood out in the market 23:10 - Catering to customers vs staying focused 31:32 - From Lithuania to the world 43:54 - Is Lithuania a startup-friendly country? Resources mentioned: Blackbox Thinking, Matthew Syed Click here to enjoy three months of NordPass Business for free with the code “swisspreneur”. About Jonas Karklys: Jonas Karklys is the co-founder of Nord Security, and the CEO of its password managem

Jun 2, 2024 • 48:10

EP #406 - Danny Chatziprodromou: Breaking Out of the Golden Corporate Cage

EP #406 - Danny Chatziprodromou: Breaking Out of the Golden Corporate Cage

Timestamps: 4:09 - Obstacles to innovation in corporates 10:53 - Starting a startup in your 40s 17:00 - Learning to endure pain 19:40 - Financial planning for your startup 27:36 - What if your startup fails? About Danny Chatziprodromou: Danny Chatziprodromou is the founder and CEO of REOR20, a company developing the next generation of models providing highly accurate flood hazard information at a significantly lower cost. He holds a PhD in Computational Fluid Dynamics and Mechanical Engineering

May 29, 2024 • 34:22

EP #405 - Christoph Bertschy & Gaël Riesen: How to Make Water Free & Profitable

EP #405 - Christoph Bertschy & Gaël Riesen: How to Make Water Free & Profitable

Timestamps: 5:20 - Making a business out of free water 8:12 - Competition in the advertising world 10:00 - The decrease in the quality of online advertising 13:09 - Distributing 25K bottles 17:21 - Fundraising through the Swisspreneur Syndicate About Christoph Bertschy & Gaël Riesen: Gaël Riesen is a co-founder and the Head of Production/Distribution at Gratiswasser, and his co-founder Christoph Bertschy is the owner of the company. Gratiswasser is a startup placing ads in free water bottle

May 26, 2024 • 23:13

EP #404 - Matthias Bryner: Why You Should Start Investing

EP #404 - Matthias Bryner: Why You Should Start Investing

Timestamps: 1:30 - Working for neon 10:22 - Why you should start investing 15:41 - Start investing with findependent 21:44 - Fee structure 36:26 - 5 principles for personal finance Click here to enjoy three months of NordPass Business for free by using the code “swisspreneur”.  About Matthias Bryner: Matthias Bryner is the founder of findependent, an app to make investing transparent, easy and beneficial for everyone, regardless of prior knowledge. He holds an MA in Banking and Finance from HS

May 22, 2024 • 45:05

EP #403 - Linus Gabrielsson & Pedro Schmidt: Creating the Perfect Sports Drink & Crowdfunding as a Startup

EP #403 - Linus Gabrielsson & Pedro Schmidt: Creating the Perfect Sports Drink & Crowdfunding as a Startup

Timestamps: 8:49 - Pivoting your marketing 12:17 - The key ingredients for sports recovery 17:43 - Distributing through several channels  23:22 - Importing CONDA to Switzerland  33:25 - Developing crowdfunding momentum  This episode was co-produced with CONDA.ch. If you want to invest in CONDA.ch with preferential conditions, contact them at investor@conda.ch. About Pedro Schmidt & Linus Gabrielsson: Pedro Schmidt is the founder and CEO of KaEx, the world’s first sports-recovery drink to signi

May 19, 2024 • 51:10

EP #402 - Stefanie Flückiger-Mangual: Stopping Non-Genetic Cancer Drug Resistance

EP #402 - Stefanie Flückiger-Mangual: Stopping Non-Genetic Cancer Drug Resistance

Timestamps: 5:15 - Having a co-founder pass away 10:33 - Drug resistance and cancer patients 18:24 - Clinical development 23:17 - Raising a series A as a biotech 26:43 - Striking partnerships  Check out the LinkedIn event for our livestream with Aurelio Perucca on May 22nd. About Stefanie Flückiger-Mangual: Stefanie Flückiger-Mangual is the co-founder and CEO at TOLREMO Therapeutics, a biotech startup on a mission to prevent non-genetic cancer drug resistance. She holds a PhD in Molecular and

May 15, 2024 • 37:42

EP #401 - Eric Laudet: Holistic Healthcare On The Rise

EP #401 - Eric Laudet: Holistic Healthcare On The Rise

Timestamps: 1:45 - Leaving Batmaid for Holistiq 8:52 - Holistiq’s incredible traction 10:05 - The healthcare market 12:10 - Hiring the right people as a startup 13:58 - Raising funds through the Swisspreneur Syndicate Click here to apply to join our 2024 Lausanne Scaleup Cruise.  About Eric Laudet: Eric Laudet is the founder and CEO of Holistiq, a startup offering an organic and personalized approach to healthcare which aims to solve health issues at their root, instead of just treating sympto

May 13, 2024 • 18:10

EP #400 - Pascal Bieri: Catching Up with Planted’s Incredible Growth Journey

EP #400 - Pascal Bieri: Catching Up with Planted’s Incredible Growth Journey

Timestamps: 1:42 - The food industry 11:20 - Ensuring quality across suppliers 16:41 - Maintaining a high shelf life 26:10 - Markets Planted is tackling next 33:20 - Small pivots over time About Pascal Bieri: Pascal Bieri is the co-founder of Planted, a startup creating healthy plant-based meat alternatives. He holds an MA in Informations-, Media- and Technology Management from the University of St Gallen, and previously worked in companies like SweetWorks Confections and DeepTech Capital AG be

May 8, 2024 • 46:30

EP #399 - Matthias Kaech & Adrian Riedo: Why IP Protection Matters to Startups

EP #399 - Matthias Kaech & Adrian Riedo: Why IP Protection Matters to Startups

Timestamps: 3:49 - Startups & IP rights 8:56 - Trademarks and patents 17:45 - Startups getting into IP trouble 25:58 - Protecting your IP globally 33:34 - Open source code This episode was produced in collaboration with startup days, taking place this year on May 30th 2024. Click ⁠here⁠ to purchase your ticket. About Matthias Kaech & Adrian Riedo: Adrian Riedo is the founder and owner of RNX, short for Riedo Networks, a provider and distributor of energy monitoring and control solution

May 5, 2024 • 47:00

EP #398 - Anina Lutz: Digitizing Insurance

EP #398 - Anina Lutz: Digitizing Insurance

Timestamps: 1:48 - Getting into the insurance business 8:47 - The potential of digital insurance solutions 19:50 - The health insurance market 29:24 - Collaborating with other insurance companies 32:57 - Convertible loan over equity rounds Check out the LinkedIn event for our livestream with Aurelio Perucca on May 22nd: https://www.linkedin.com/events/makingmoneyfromalternativeinves7191374767680057345/theater/ About Anina Lutz: Anina Lutz is the co-founder and CEO of Calingo Insurance AG, a di

May 1, 2024 • 46:22

EP #397 - Oliver & Denis Widler: The Twin Brothers Building a PetTech Startup

EP #397 - Oliver & Denis Widler: The Twin Brothers Building a PetTech Startup

Timestamps: 1:25 - Starting a business with your twin 5:19 - The PetTech market  9:46 - From prototype to finished product 15:33 - Building a startup as a student 19:00 - Fundraising through the Swisspreneur Syndicate  Click here to apply to join our Founders Dinner in Bern on May 30th. About Oliver Widler & Denis Widler: Denis Widler is the co-founder and Head of Business Relations at Flappie, a startup building an AI-powered cat door with integrated prey detection. He holds a Master’s de

Apr 29, 2024 • 24:17

EP #396 - Melanie Kovacs: How to Stop Hesitating & Start Building a Business

EP #396 - Melanie Kovacs: How to Stop Hesitating & Start Building a Business

Timestamps: 5:10 - Starting a startup right after university 9:06 - Hesitation & entrepreneurship 13:09 - Knowing if you’re ready 18:15 - Practicing to be ready 25:00 - Giving up on a project Click here to apply to join our Founders Dinner in Bern on May 30th. This episode was co-produced by the Female Founders Initiative and recorded at the Female Future Festival.  Resources mentioned: Positive Intelligence, Shirzad Chamine Positive Intelligence assessment Untamed, Glennon Doyle Brené

Apr 28, 2024 • 31:38

EP #395 - Diego Seitz: The GotCourts Hybrid

EP #395 - Diego Seitz: The GotCourts Hybrid

Timestamps: 1:32 - Interning at Namics 14:31 - What GotCourts does 22:34 - The paddle tennis boom 28:25 - Building traction outside Switzerland 36:58 - Getting acquired by a competitor Click here to enjoy three months of NordPass Business for free. About Diego Seitz: Diego Seitz is the co-founder and former CEO at GotCourts, a social network for racket sports players and marketplace for booking courts and coaches. He holds a MSc in International Management from CEMS as well as a MSc in Strateg

Apr 24, 2024 • 1:01:54

EP #394 - Gianluca Cesari: How Sevensense Got Acquired By ABB

EP #394 - Gianluca Cesari: How Sevensense Got Acquired By ABB

Timestamps: 1:39 - What changed from 2020 to 2024 4:06 - 8 co-founders from start to finish 7:36 - Finding the right focus 13:33 - Selling to robot manufacturers 19:58 - Getting acquired by ABB  About Gianluca Cesari: Gianluca Cesari is a co-founder and the CBDO of Sevensense Robotics, a robotics ETH spin-off which empowers mobile robots to move into public and dynamic spaces, supporting humans in the execution of dirty, dangerous and dull tasks. Gianluca holds a master’s degree in Robotics, Sy

Apr 21, 2024 • 33:31

EP #393 - Adrien Treccani: SaaS to Manage Your Digital Assets

EP #393 - Adrien Treccani: SaaS to Manage Your Digital Assets

Timestamps: 12:02 - Breaking down crypto 17:50 - B2Banks and financial institutions 29:23 - Being a solo founder against your will 38:35 - Hiring senior people for a startup 42:00 - A USD 250M exit About Adrien Treccani: Adrien Treccani is the founder and CEO of Metaco, an enterprise technology company whose mission is to enable financial and non-financial institutions to securely build their digital asset operations. He holds a PhD in Finance from the SFI (Swiss Finance Institute) and previous

Apr 17, 2024 • 53:38

EP #392 - Daniel Gutierrez & Francois Smuts: The Gap in Women’s Reproductive Health

EP #392 - Daniel Gutierrez & Francois Smuts: The Gap in Women’s Reproductive Health

Timestamps: 1:17 - Brought together by wine  3:21 - Declining fertility rates in Europe 8:12 - How the team came together  10:38 - Guys working on women’s health?  17:58 - Fundraising through the Swisspreneur Syndicate  About Daniel Gutierrez & Francois Smuts: Francois Smuts is the co-founder and managing director of BioNexus, a healthcare company focused on creating cutting edge wearable diagnostics. He holds a Global Masters of Public Health from Imperial College London and was a Medical

Apr 14, 2024 • 25:46

EP#391 - Lisa Stähli & Fabienne Lorenz: How Role Models Drive Women to Tech

EP#391 - Lisa Stähli & Fabienne Lorenz: How Role Models Drive Women to Tech

Timestamps: 2:57 - What Girls in Tech is 6:35 - Deciding to become a female engineer 11:40 - The importance of role models 24:20 - The benefit of having a female network  25:44 - The future of Girls in Tech  About Lisa Stähli & Fabienne Lorenz: Lisa Stähli is a board member and Head of Press at Girls in Tech Switzerland, a nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating the gender gap in tech. She holds a MSc in Geomatics Engineering from ETH and is currently a Product Engineering Lead at t

Apr 10, 2024 • 34:11

EP #390 - Pascale Vonmont & Roger Wüthrich-Hasenböhler: Why Swiss Innovation Isn’t Living Up to Its Full Potential

EP #390 - Pascale Vonmont & Roger Wüthrich-Hasenböhler: Why Swiss Innovation Isn’t Living Up to Its Full Potential

Timestamps: 2:10 - 25 years of Swiss entrepreneurship 3:01 - The Kick Fund  10:38 - The problem of segmented startup initiatives  17:40 - The 4 areas of Deep Tech Switzerland 24:06 - The role of the Swiss government About Pascale Vonmont & Roger Wüthrich-Hasenböhler: Pascale Vonmont is the director of the Gebert Rüf Stiftung, and Roger Wüthrich-Hasenböhler is the non-executive vice-president at Swisscom, and a former member of its Group Executive Board.  Gebert Rüf Stiftung is one of the in

Apr 7, 2024 • 32:54

EP #389 - S. Manoj Harasgama: From Working at Shell to Building a ClimateTech Startup

EP #389 - S. Manoj Harasgama: From Working at Shell to Building a ClimateTech Startup

Redeem your EUR 75 bonus at Splint Invest with code Dali24: https://splintinvest.onelink.me/ZGYb/swppod Timestamps: 3:50 - Being part of the Groupon story 13:05 - Getting a climate wake-up call 15:47 - From working for Shell to climate tech 17:46 - The problem Manoj is solving 20:19 - Pros and cons of hydrogen About S. Manoj Harasgama: S. Manoj Harasgama is a serial entrepreneur and startup investor. He’s been the founder/MD at Treatwell, Unleash12, a venture capital company and JOIN.com, and

Apr 3, 2024 • 42:19

EP #388 - Nicole Colmenares Pulido: How to Make Prosthetics Accessible Worldwide

EP #388 - Nicole Colmenares Pulido: How to Make Prosthetics Accessible Worldwide

Timestamps: 2:41 - The neglected field of disability care 5:09 - Making money as an impact startup 9:30 - Circleg’s magic team 15:33 - Managing startup growth 18:20 - Fundraising through the Swisspreneur Syndicate About Nicole Pulido: Nicole Colmenares Pulido is the co-founder and Head of Business Development & Finance at Circleg, a Swiss startup providing affordable and high-quality prosthetics to low and middle income countries across the world. Nicole holds a master’s degree in Business

Apr 1, 2024 • 23:38

EP #387 - Jonas Urwyler & Nico Hauschke: How to Make Fishing Sustainable

EP #387 - Jonas Urwyler & Nico Hauschke: How to Make Fishing Sustainable

Timestamps: 4:52 - Hooked by the fishing industry  6:56 - Why the market timing was right 14:15 - Product help from Innosuisse  16:15 - 99% of fishing products are produced in Asia 19:34 - Fundraising through the Swisspreneur Syndicate About Jonas Urwyler & Nico Hauschke: Jonas Urwyler is the co-founder and CEO at Capt’n Greenfin, a fishing goods company striving to make fishing sustainable. He holds an MBA from the University of Freiburg and previously worked for companies like VZ Vermögen

Mar 31, 2024 • 27:26

EP #386 - Ansuya Ahluwalia: From India, to Silicon Valley, to Swisspreneur

EP #386 - Ansuya Ahluwalia: From India, to Silicon Valley, to Swisspreneur

Timestamps: 3:08 - Studying in India and the US 20:54 - Starting Anamii 34:00 - The exit coming as a surprise 43:58 - How Ansuya joined Swisspreneur 55:50 - What thirty3 does About Ansuya Ahluwalia: Ansuya Ahluwalia is a co-founder of the wellness and inner transformation app Anamii and the CTO and Business Partner of thirty3, which helps companies with innovative product development by building AI-first applications. She holds a MSc in Computer Science from UCLA and previously worked for compa

Mar 27, 2024 • 1:12:42

EP #385 - Alex Ilic: The AI Takeover, in Switzerland & Abroad

EP #385 - Alex Ilic: The AI Takeover, in Switzerland & Abroad

This episode was produced in collaboration with startup days, taking place this year on May 30th 2024. Click here to purchase your ticket. Timestamps: 7:39 - Why the tech giants should watch out  12:52 - Are the crazy AI valuations justified? 19:26 - Ethical challenges of AI 20:30 - The AI act & other regulation  23:10 - The Swiss supercomputer  About Alexander Ilic: Alex Ilic is the co-founder and executive director of the ETH AI Center, one of the world's largest hubs for research in

Mar 24, 2024 • 33:51

EP #384 - Seraina Soldner: Migrants in Switzerland & Social Impact Entrepreneurship

EP #384 - Seraina Soldner: Migrants in Switzerland & Social Impact Entrepreneurship

Timestamps: 1:31 - Being interested in social impact work  11:06 - The background of SINGA applicants 16:27 - Who funds SINGA  29:42 - Does the world share the Swiss fear of failure? 42:57 - Knowing when to move on  About Seraina Soldner: Seraina Soldner is the co-founder and former co-director of SINGA Switzerland, an incubator for projects built by people with a refugee or migrant experience, and currently a project manager at Hospital at Home Verein (hospitales). She holds an MA in Internati

Mar 20, 2024 • 1:04:29

EP #383 - David Christen: How to Eradicate Illegal Work in Switzerland

EP #383 - David Christen: How to Eradicate Illegal Work in Switzerland

Redeem your EUR 75 bonus at Splint Invest: https://splintinvest.onelink.me/ZGYb/swppod Timestamps: 6:06 - Getting the funds to start your venture 11:09 - Illegal work in Switzerland 27:55 - Deeptech Switzerland 40:03 - Raising funds in 2012 42:38 - The downsides of VC money  About David Christen: David Christen is the co-founder and CMO at quitt, a company that takes the effort, paperwork and stress out of employing domestic helpers for private households, and quitt.business, a platform for th

Mar 13, 2024 • 56:17

EP #382 - Stefan Kyora & Thomas Heimann: How Did The Swiss Startup Ecosystem Do in 2023?

EP #382 - Stefan Kyora & Thomas Heimann: How Did The Swiss Startup Ecosystem Do in 2023?

Timestamps: 2:20 - The Swiss ecosystem in the last 10 years  11:05 - Why are tradesales down?  19:19 - The rise of the Romandie  21:35 - How Switzerland compares to other startup hubs  28:17 - Going public in the US vs CH About Stefan Kyora & Thomas Heimann: Stefan Kyora is editor-in-chief at startupticker.ch, the leading Swiss news portal for startups, supporters, innovators and investors, and holds a PhD in Philosophy and Business Ethics from the University of Konstanz. Thomas Heimann is

Mar 9, 2024 • 46:58

EP #381 - Cris Grossmann: A CEO’s Evolving Role

EP #381 - Cris Grossmann: A CEO’s Evolving Role

Timestamps: 1:20 - From 2 to 220 employees 3:50 - A founder’s motivation  7:45 - A leader’s biggest lesson 10:20 - Your support network as a founder  14:25 - A CEO’s evolving role  About Cristian Grossmann: ⁠⁠Cristian Grossmann⁠⁠ is the co-founder and Head Bee at ⁠⁠beekeeper⁠⁠, the well-known Swiss frontline operating system. He holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering from ETH and worked for companies like ChromaCon and Accenture before starting beekeeper in 2011. During his 12 years at beekeeper

Mar 6, 2024 • 16:32

EP #380 - Samuel Mueller: Scandit Lessons in Scaling

EP #380 - Samuel Mueller: Scandit Lessons in Scaling

Timestamps: 2:40 - Samuel’s biggest mistake 8:01 - Expanding to the US instead of DACH  10:10 - Growing your headcount 13:37 - OKRs at Scandit  18:38 - Staying healthy and sane as a founder About Samuel Mueller: Samuel Mueller is the co-founder and CEO at Scandit, the leading technology platform for mobile computer vision and augmented reality (AR) solutions for enterprises. He holds a PhD in Computer Science and Temporal Logics from ETH Zurich. Together with Christian Floerkermeier and Christo

Mar 3, 2024 • 21:29

EP #379 - Ana Montalban-Arques: Treating Cancer with Bacteria

EP #379 - Ana Montalban-Arques: Treating Cancer with Bacteria

Redeem your EUR 75 bonus at Splint Invest with code Dali24: https://splintinvest.onelink.me/ZGYb/swppod Timestamps: 5:20 - Going from researcher to entrepreneur  8:57 - How bacteria kills cancer 15:14 - Proof of concept in biotech 17:56 - Avenues after a tradesale  24:13 - Entrepreneurship and motherhood About Ana Montalban-Arques: Ana Montalban-Arques is co-founder and CEO of Recolony, a biotech startup developing a bacteria-based oral therapy to treat cancer. She holds a PhD in Medicine from

Feb 28, 2024 • 36:05

EP #378 - Philippe Greinacher & Alexander Häberlin: Why Your Next Hike Needs Coffee From A Tube

EP #378 - Philippe Greinacher & Alexander Häberlin: Why Your Next Hike Needs Coffee From A Tube

Timestamps: 8:13 - Why Nestlé isn’t doing what they’re doing 11:50 - Why the timing was right for new coffee 18:00 - Straying from the classical Swiss path  23:18 -  Developing the nonormal MVP with partners  27:00 - Fundraising through the Swisspreneur Syndicate About Philippe Greinacher & Alexander Häberlin: Philippe Greinacher is the co-founder and CEO of nonormal, a startup producing sustainable, high-quality coffee for outdoor consumption — that comes in a tube! He holds a BA in Business A

Feb 25, 2024 • 36:02

EP #377 - Roger Dudler & Dennis Just: Growing Through Acquisition

EP #377 - Roger Dudler & Dennis Just: Growing Through Acquisition

Redeem your EUR 75 bonus at Splint Invest with code Dali24: https://splintinvest.onelink.me/ZGYb/swppod Timestamps: 3:50 - Deciding to acquire TwicPics 16:30 - The smallpdf fuckup 20:37 - Integrating two cultures  26:20 - When to start thinking about acquisitions 32:50 - Resorting to investment banks About Roger Dudler & Dennis Just: On August 29th the Swisspreneur community got together for the third edition of its annual Zurich Scaleup Cruise, sponsored by Swisscom Ventures, SIX, UBS, MLL an

Feb 21, 2024 • 45:30

EP #376 - Holger Seim: The Blinkist Story

EP #376 - Holger Seim: The Blinkist Story

Timestamps: 7:03 - Their passion for Blinkist 12:33 - Losing co-founders 25:30 - The value Blinkist provides 33:56 - Going B2C and B2B 43:30 - From early adopters to mainstream user base About Holger Seim: Holger Seim is the co-founder and former CEO at Blinkist, the mobile-first microlearning app. He holds a diploma from the Philipp University of Marburg and previously worked for companies like Volkswagen Group China and Deutsche Telekom before starting Blinkist in 2012. Blinkist was created d

Feb 14, 2024 • 56:22

EP #375 - Nicolas Egger: Fixing the Mental Health Care Industry

EP #375 - Nicolas Egger: Fixing the Mental Health Care Industry

Timestamps: 2:02 - From footballer to banker to student  10:35 - The emotional toll of a volatile startup journey 20:42 - Sorting out shares before you leave 41:00 - Getting good psychologists on Aepsy 54:00 - Going B2C first, then B2B About Nicolas Egger: Nicolas Egger is the co-founder of Poinz, a B2B2C platform for SMEs, and of Aepsy, a mental health platform for online or in-person sessions with psychologists. He holds a BASc in General Management from ZHAW. Prior to university, Nicolas pla

Feb 7, 2024 • 1:03:22

EP #374 - Murielle Schreck: The ETH Spin-Off Making Futuristic Heating Pads

EP #374 - Murielle Schreck: The ETH Spin-Off Making Futuristic Heating Pads

Timestamps: 4:25 - Three technical co-founders 6:37 - Completing Venture Kick 8:34 - qCella’s heated mats  10:25 - The challenge of finding the right people  12:28 - Having two rather different products About Murielle Schreck: Murielle Schreck is the co-founder and CEO at qCella, an ETH spin-off impregnating natural fibers with copper and using them to develop heating pads with superior properties compared to commercially available heating wires. She holds a PhD in Materials Science from ETH an

Feb 4, 2024 • 19:13

EP #373 - Sven Erni: Circular, Upcycled Acoustic Solutions

EP #373 - Sven Erni: Circular, Upcycled Acoustic Solutions

Timestamps: 14:08 - Running out of money 18:50 - Choosing loans over equity  19:55 - Ensuring sustainability across the supply chain 25:17 - Boycotting the 5 biggest plastic polluters 42:05 - Sharing margin with resellers About Sven Erni: Sven Erni is the co-founder and CEO at Impact Acoustic, a Swiss provider of high-performance, circular acoustic solutions made from upcycled material. He holds a BSc in International Hotel Management from EHL, Lausanne, and previously worked for companies like

Jan 31, 2024 • 48:27

EP #372 - Thomas Zurbuchen: Startups & NASA: Braving the Unknown

EP #372 - Thomas Zurbuchen: Startups & NASA: Braving the Unknown

Get tickets to Scaleup Slopes 2024 here. Timestamps: 4:26 - Getting kicked out of home  16:00 - Immigrants and entrepreneurs 20:56 - Getting a job offer from NASA 39:35 - Startups and space missions  43:39 - Leaving NASA About Thomas Zurbuchen: Thomas Zurbuchen is a professor at ETH Space and the former Head of Science at NASA. He was born in 1968 in the canton of Bern, son of a Free Church preacher who did not want him to attend university to study Astrophysics. Thomas went against his father

Jan 24, 2024 • 56:36

EP #371 - Pascal Koenig & Sophie Lamparter: A Fundraising Masterclass in 40 Minutes

EP #371 - Pascal Koenig & Sophie Lamparter: A Fundraising Masterclass in 40 Minutes

Timestamps: 3:53 - How to know if you’re ‘investable’ 6:49 - Getting in touch with investors 8:08 - How much equity to give away  13:48 - Equity round or convertible loan? 37:16 - Celebrating a closed round About Pascal Koenig & Sophie Lamparter: Sophie Lamparter is the co-founder of DART Labs, an international fund investing in early stage Swiss climate and health tech startups to accelerate them on the US market. She holds a degree in Communication and Media Studies from ZHAW. Pascal Koen

Jan 17, 2024 • 48:33

EP #370 - Mallory Houston Nieman: Switzerland’s First Indoor Cycling Studio

EP #370 - Mallory Houston Nieman: Switzerland’s First Indoor Cycling Studio

Get tickets to Scaleup Slopes 2024 here. Timestamps: 3:40 - Culture shock from moving to Switzerland 12:26 - Being a solo founder 20:43 - Expanding yourself vs franchising 28:05 - Acquiring silent partners 36:00 - Benefits of expanding slowly About Mallory Houston Nieman: Mallory Houston Nieman is the owner and operator of Velocity, Switzerland’s first indoor cycling studio. She holds a BA in English & Psychology from Cornell University and an MBA from Swiss Business School, Kloten, and pr

Jan 10, 2024 • 40:58

EP #369 - Mario Michan: Targeting Tough-To-Decarbonize Industries

EP #369 - Mario Michan: Targeting Tough-To-Decarbonize Industries

Timestamps: 1:50 - Joining the Navy 9:53 - Being a solo founder with a mentor 25:30 - Creating sustainability incentives  35:41 - Expanding to Norway and the USA 42:04 - Participating in the Sparks IPO Academy About Mario Michan: Mario Michan is the co-founder and CEO of Daphne Technology, a climate deep tech company reducing air pollution produced by the global shipping industry. He holds a PhD in Physics from the University of British Columbia and previously worked as a research scientist at

Jan 7, 2024 • 49:27

EP #368 - Michael Waldner: Buying and Selling Renewable Energy

EP #368 - Michael Waldner: Buying and Selling Renewable Energy

Timestamps: 1:27 - Renewable energy in 2008  10:02 - The volatility of the energy market 16:00 - Renewables subsidies on their way out 25:18 - Growing pains as a company 31:53 - Raising funds in an unideal context About Michael Waldner: Michael Waldner is the co-founder and CEO at Pexapark, a provider of energy risk and portfolio management capabilities for renewable energy. He holds a MSc in Industrial Management and Manufacturing Engineering from ETH and previously worked at companies like E

Jan 3, 2024 • 43:56

Swisspreneur Show Trailer 2024

Swisspreneur Show Trailer 2024

We interview Switzerland’s most talented founders, business leaders and innovators. Listen to the trailer of Switzerland’s #1 podcast for entrepreneurs.

Jan 1, 2024 • 0:31

EP #367 - Loris Niederberger: Why Your Team Management Needs a Software

EP #367 - Loris Niederberger: Why Your Team Management Needs a Software

Timestamps: 1:13 - Accidentally ending up in China 9:04 - Psychological safety at work 18:50 - Publicly disclosing your pricing 28:10 - Getting the first customers 36:00 - Doubting if you’ll make it About Loris Niederberger: Loris Niederberger is the co-founder of Moodtalk, a software for clarity and structure on how teams work together successfully. He holds an MA in International Management from CEMS and previously worked for companies like swissnex China and Voliro Airborne Robotics before s

Dec 27, 2023 • 50:06

EP #366 - Philippe Ganz & Paulina Grnarova: The Art of the Start

EP #366 - Philippe Ganz & Paulina Grnarova: The Art of the Start

Timestamps: 7:40 - High energy, high loyalty and high intelligence 13:46 - When a co-founder leaves 19:57 - The point of an MVP 32:08 - Grants or equity? 39:05 - Plans for future expansion About Philippe Ganz & Paulina Grnarova: Paulina Grnarova is the co-founder and CEO of DeepJudge, an AI-powered Knowledge Search for legal professionals. She holds a PhD in Computer Science from ETH. Philippe Ganz is the CEO and co-founder of aiEndoscopic, a medtech startup combining artificial intelligenc

Dec 25, 2023 • 52:06

EP #365 - Adrian Melliger: The Electromobility One-Stop-Shop

EP #365 - Adrian Melliger: The Electromobility One-Stop-Shop

Timestamps: 6:44 - eMobility back in 2008 7:39 - CO2 impact of electric vehicles  8:56 - Sourcing the minerals sustainably & ethically 15:58 - Life after death, for batteries 25:00 - Partnering with Volvo About Adrian Melliger: Adrian Melliger is the co-owner and CEO of Designwerk Technologies, an electromobility one-stop-shop. He previously worked for companies like Swissport and Ground Handling Team Holding before joining Designwerk in 2018. Designwerk was founded back in 2008, after its

Dec 20, 2023 • 35:27

EP #364 - Reto Naef: Disruptive Therapies for Aging Diseases

EP #364 - Reto Naef: Disruptive Therapies for Aging Diseases

Timestamps: 13:03 - The birth of TOPADUR 18:07 - Leaving the cushy life for entrepreneurship  23:26 - TOPADUR’s drug development  30:36 - Financing pharma 38:08 - Sparks IPO Academy About Reto Naef: Reto Naef is the founder and former CEO of TOPADUR PHARMA AG, a biopharmaceutical company developing disruptive therapies for aging diseases. He holds a PhD in Chemistry from ETH and an MBA from UZH and previously worked for pharma companies like Sandoz and Novartis before starting TOPADUR in 2015.

Dec 17, 2023 • 54:10

EP #363 - Vivek Dogra, Arijana Walcott, Lukas André & Dominique Gruhl: VCs on Stage

EP #363 - Vivek Dogra, Arijana Walcott, Lukas André & Dominique Gruhl: VCs on Stage

Timestamps:   6:29 - Looking for investors for your fund 13:08 - Managing investor relationships 19:56 - Deeptech in Europe 22:55 - Investing in very early stage companies 30:23 - Increasing legislation About Vivek Dogra, Arijana Walcott, Lukas André & Dominique Gruhl: Vivek Dogra is a venture partner at the European Circular Bioeconomy Fund, the leading investment fund dedicated to growth-stage companies and projects within the European Bioeconomy. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Ele

Dec 13, 2023 • 40:42

EP #362 - Christian Fischer: From Building Skis to Building a Company

EP #362 - Christian Fischer: From Building Skis to Building a Company

Timestamps: 8:37 - From building skis to building a company 14:55 - Losing half your co-founders 28:42 - Pricing materials 39:44 - Handling sales after the CCO leaves 45:56 - Doing an IPO on the SIX Swiss Exchange About Christian Fischer: Christian Fischer is the co-founder and CEO at Bcomp, a global leader in advanced renewable material solutions. He holds a PhD in Materials Science from EPFL and previously worked at the aluminum products manufacturer Constellium before founding Bcomp in 2011.

Dec 10, 2023 • 56:50

EP #361 - Fabian Gerber & Jan Luescher: From Startup to IPO

EP #361 - Fabian Gerber & Jan Luescher: From Startup to IPO

Timestamps: 4:22 - Why do an IPO/direct listing? 9:15 - When should you pursue an IPO/direct listing? 15:39 - Where should you list your company?  20:37 - The Sparks IPO Academy 26:44 - Direct listing mistakes  About Fabian Gerber & Jan Luescher: Jan Luescher is the CEO at ASMALLWORLD, an exclusive travel & lifestyle community. He previously worked as a Principal at Bain & Company and holds a MA in Strategy and International Management from HSG. Fabian Gerber is a Senior Relationshi

Dec 6, 2023 • 46:59

EP #360 - Sarah Harbarth: Building Biobased, Biodegradable Materials

EP #360 - Sarah Harbarth: Building Biobased, Biodegradable Materials

Timestamps: 1:10 - Microplastics and food waste 5:25 - The kuori team  6:30 - Raising 2.3M  8:30 - The biobased & biodegradable USP 12:23 - Fundraising through the Swisspreneur syndicate  About Sarah Harbarth: Sarah Harbarth is the co-founder and CEO of kuori, a B2B enterprise providing eco-friendly alternative-plastic granules for fashion, outdoor equipment, tools, and toys. She holds a BA in Industrial Design from the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, and was w

Dec 3, 2023 • 17:21

EP #359 - Markus Witte: Building a Successful Founding Team

EP #359 - Markus Witte: Building a Successful Founding Team

Timestamps: 3:20 - Solo founding or co-founder team? 8:37 - “Why are we doing this?”  11:58 - Hiring in the early days 16:50 - Knowing when to pivot 26:47 - Early stage startups are falling apart About Markus Witte: Markus Witte is the chairman and co-founder of Babbel, the market leading app for language learning, as well as a partner at Wachstumsbegleitung, which offers coaching and consulting for scaling startups. He holds an MA in Cultural Studies from Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and pre

Nov 29, 2023 • 43:07

EP #358 - Marco Rodzynek: The Conference for Digital, Sustainable, Profitable Startups

EP #358 - Marco Rodzynek: The Conference for Digital, Sustainable, Profitable Startups

Timestamps: 2:40 - 90 M&A deals and the 2008 crash 6:41 - NOAH coming to Switzerland 12:43 - NOAH speakers’ valuation increased 24x 19:34 - Profitability of cleantech 29:04 - Rapid fire questions About Marco Rodzynek: Marco Rodzynek is the founder and CEO at NOAH Conference, an annual event with an unique line up of digital champions and sustainability market leaders. Marco previously worked at Lehman Brothers, where he was involved in 90+ M&A deals, before starting NOAH Conference and

Nov 26, 2023 • 30:31

EP #357 - Sophie Lamparter: Fundraising in 2023

EP #357 - Sophie Lamparter: Fundraising in 2023

Timestamps: 4:55 - Current global fundraising environment 8:23 - The bet on climatetech 17:48 - How funds raise funds 32:45 - Calculating ROI 42:10 - Getting in touch with DART Labs About Sophie Lamparter: Sophie Lamparter is the co-founder of DART Labs, an international fund investing in early stage Swiss climate and health tech startups to accelerate them on the US market. She holds a degree in Communication and Media Studies from ZHAW. During this episode with us she discussed the current fu

Nov 22, 2023 • 47:46

EP #356 - Arijana Walcott: Q&A with a DART Labs Founder

EP #356 - Arijana Walcott: Q&A with a DART Labs Founder

Timestamps: 4:03 - Is my company VC-backable? 7:04 - How to find investors 22:48 - What makes a good pitch deck 28:26 - Picking a bad VC 36:45 - Raising funds is getting harder About Arijana Walcott: Arijana Walcott is a co-founder and managing partner at DART Labs, together with former Swisspreneur guest Sophie Lamparter. DART invests in early stage startups from Switzerland and Europe and helps them test and scale their ideas in San Francisco. Arijana holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Ge

Nov 19, 2023 • 43:15

EP #355 - Georg Hirschi: Flipping the Roles in Job Search

EP #355 - Georg Hirschi: Flipping the Roles in Job Search

Timestamps: 1:08 - Moving to Australia 7:30 - Shift from corporate to founder 16:50 - Reversing roles in job search 30:30 - How to keep contracts on FOUND 36:43 - Starting out bootstrapped About Georg Hirschi: ⁠Georg Hirschi⁠ is the co-founder and strategy lead at ⁠FOUND⁠, a startup bringing the digital consumer revolution to hiring. He holds an MA in Applied Sciences, Commerce & Business Administration from UZH, and previously worked at companies like PeopleScout and Lee Hecht Harrison bef

Nov 15, 2023 • 45:59

EP #354 - Anna Grassler, Cristian Grossmann & Sven Jakelj: Culture Evolving Over Time

EP #354 - Anna Grassler, Cristian Grossmann & Sven Jakelj: Culture Evolving Over Time

Timestamps: 5:01 - What does culture mean? 12:00 - Making exceptions to culture 15:00 - Measuring culture 20:48 - Dealing with a poor value fit 36:05 - Hiring family and friends About Anna Grassler, Cristian Grossmann & Sven Jakelj: ⁠Anna Grassler⁠ is co-CEO at ⁠FELFEL⁠, a company changing the way people eat at work. She holds a masters in Management & Social Entrepreneurship from ESCP Business School and previously worked for companies like L’Oréal and Gärtnerei before joining FELFEL i

Nov 13, 2023 • 39:07

EP #353 - Nikos Kariotoglou: AI Cameras Are Here

EP #353 - Nikos Kariotoglou: AI Cameras Are Here

Timestamps: 12:30 - Taking your baby out of the lab 24:20 - Getting the timing right 29:55 - Acquiring inbound leads 36:27 - How the team changes over the years 41:56 - Selling Seervision About Nikos Kariotoglou: Nikos Kariotoglou is the co-founder and CEO at Seervision, an industry pioneer in AI-driven camera automation software to enable effective hybrid collaboration in corporate boardrooms or lecture halls. He holds a PhD in Control Engineering from ETH and a M.Eng in Electrical and Electro

Nov 8, 2023 • 57:05

EP #352 - Sophie Lamparter, Daniel Gutenberg & Christina Vallgren: Fundraising from the Startup and Investor Perspective

EP #352 - Sophie Lamparter, Daniel Gutenberg & Christina Vallgren: Fundraising from the Startup and Investor Perspective

Timestamps: 6:30 - Combining STEM and business 8:50 - The fundraising environment 16:19 - Fundraising and keeping the boat afloat 19:27 - What makes a great pitch deck 35:13 - Should investors sit on a company’s board? About Sophia Lamparter, Daniel Gutenberg & Christina Vallgren: Sophie Lamparter is the co-founder of DART Labs, an international fund investing in early stage European climate and health tech startups to accelerate them on the US market. She holds a degree in Communication and Me

Nov 5, 2023 • 43:00

EP #351 - Tanja Koch: Your First Startup Team

EP #351 - Tanja Koch: Your First Startup Team

Timestamps: 6:44 - Why the founder team is the key ingredient 13:30 - Starting entrepreneurship part-time 15:50 - Splitting shares among founders 24:03 - Attracting senior people to your startup 31:30 - Closing a round amid a crisis About Tanja Koch: ⁠Tanja Koch⁠ is a co-founder at ⁠Amplo⁠, a no code platform that makes AI easy and accessible to service and operation departments. She holds a MSc in Mechanical Engineering from ETH Zürich and previously worked for companies like LEVITRONIX and 9T

Nov 1, 2023 • 39:07

EP #350 - Urs Hölzle: Google’s Employee #8

EP #350 - Urs Hölzle: Google’s Employee #8

Timestamps: 1:52 - When should Swiss startups go to the US?  9:05 - Meeting the Google founders 12:47 - How to scale culture 23:27 - Current AI developments 28:04 - Leaving Silicon Valley About Urs Hölzle: Urs Hölzle is SVP of Engineering at Google, having started there in 1999 as their first Search Engine Mechanic and altogether 8th employee. Prior to Google, he started his own company Animorphic LLC in 1994 following the completion of his PhD in Computer Science at Stanford, and later worked

Oct 25, 2023 • 31:55

EP #349 - Rodrigo Fraga-Silva: An Innovative Approach to Erectile Dysfunction

EP #349 - Rodrigo Fraga-Silva: An Innovative Approach to Erectile Dysfunction

Timestamps: 1:03 - The problem of erectile dysfunction 5:38 - What Comphya can do for patients 9:26 - Doing pilot clinical trials 12:18 - Competition for true innovators 13:40 - Fundraising through the Swisspreneur Syndicate About Rodrigo Fraga-Silva: ⁠Rodrigo Fraga-Silva⁠ is the co-founder and CEO at ⁠Comphya⁠, a Swiss medical device company and EPFL spin-off with the mission to help patients overcome erectile dysfunction through an innovative neurostimulating implant. He holds a PhD in Pharma

Oct 22, 2023 • 17:37

EP #348 - Herbert Bay: Product Building from Start to Finish

EP #348 - Herbert Bay: Product Building from Start to Finish

Timestamps: 2:20 - 4 lessons from 3 ventures 6:40 - The ideation stage 12:30 - An MVP cannot be simple enough 24:40 - User survey tools 27:50 - Do users know what they want? About Herbert Bay: ⁠Herbert Bay⁠ is a serial entrepreneur, angel investor and board member. He co-founded the image-recognition platform kooaba, the AR company Shortcut and the mental health tracker ⁠Earkick⁠, where he is currently still active. He holds a PhD in Computer Vision from ETH Zurich and is the original author of

Oct 18, 2023 • 49:27

EP #347 - Canay Deniz: Systematizing Luck to Push Sales

EP #347 - Canay Deniz: Systematizing Luck to Push Sales

Timestamps: 11:31 - How taking a break helps you have new ideas 21:20 - AI’s role in Ren 27:38 - From Switzerland to the US 34:18 - Iterative product-market fit  41:31 - Acquiring Fortune 500 companies as customers About Canay Deniz: Canay Deniz is the co-founder and CEO at Ren, the intelligence tool that alerts you of actionable news about clients, prospects, and key contacts and helps you reach out in a timely and meaningful way. Canay holds a M.Sc. in Industrial Engineering & Business fro

Oct 11, 2023 • 52:35

EP #346 - Roland Brack: Der Weg zu Brack.ch

EP #346 - Roland Brack: Der Weg zu Brack.ch

Timestamps: 8.37 - Start des Onlineshops in 1997 16.37 - Übernahme von Alltron 31.08 - Neues Logistikzentrum von Brack 37.48 - Fehlt Schweizern Mut zum Risiko? 47.23 - Warum Sologründer? Über Roland Brack: Roland Brack ist Gründer des Onlinehändlers Brack.ch sowie Gründer und Inhaber der Firmengruppe Competec. 1994 gründete er studienbegleitend die Einzelfirma Brack Consulting. 1997 lancierte Brack unter brack.ch seinen Onlineshop, der sich in den folgenden Jahren zu einer der umsatzstärksten E

Oct 4, 2023 • 1:02:58

EP #345 - Adrian Krebs: AI & the Boom of Unstructured Data

EP #345 - Adrian Krebs: AI & the Boom of Unstructured Data

Timestamps: 2:36 - Rapid growth in unstructured data 6:53 - Reaching CHF 100K ARR in 8 months 8:48 - The competitor landscape 12:53 - Facing the diversity of data structures 13:57 - Kadoa’s deal on the Swisspreneur Syndicate About Adrian Krebs: Adrian Krebs is the co-founder and CEO at Kadoa, a SaaS company providing AI-powered data extraction. He holds a MAS in Information Technology from Berner Fachhochschule BFH and previously built the shopping guide Looria. Together with his co-founders, J

Oct 1, 2023 • 18:38

EP #344 - Tim Beck: Using AI to Automate ERP Processes

EP #344 - Tim Beck: Using AI to Automate ERP Processes

Timestamps: 06:34 - Why all staff get their own shares 09:59 - Explaining how their automation works 15:45 - BLP Digital’s Business model 19:56 - How they validate business ideas 29:19 - Their experience of bootstrapping About Tim Beck: Tim Beck is the co-founder at BLP Digital, an ETH and HSG spin-off that uses AI to automate ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) processes. He attended both RWTH Aachen University and Georgia Tech. Before starting BLP Digital, he worked as a strategy consultant an

Sep 27, 2023 • 45:05

EP #343 - Tim Duehrkoop: The Green Impact of Finance

EP #343 - Tim Duehrkoop: The Green Impact of Finance

Timestamps: 06:07 - How Swiss investment markets have changed 9:16 - Why Tim chose forests 15:59 - How startups can operate better in the climate space 20:46 - Explaining ‘Green’ terms 29:27 - Who are Xilva’s competitors? About Tim Duehrkoop: Tim Duehrkoop is the co-founder and CEO of Xilva, a cleantech startup building the digital infrastructure for forestry investments with a focus on enabling funding through holistic project assessments. He received a PhD from HSG in Business Administration

Sep 20, 2023 • 43:29

 EP #342 - Simon Krähenbühl & Silvia Nadenbousch: Swiss-Made Eyewear for a Sustainable Future

EP #342 - Simon Krähenbühl & Silvia Nadenbousch: Swiss-Made Eyewear for a Sustainable Future

Timestamps: 3:20 - Competitor quality vs quantity 6:06 - The ILEVE founding team 11:07 - Standing for Swiss quality 16:58 - The growing pains of startups 20:04 - The ILEVE deal on the Swisspreneur syndicate About Simon Krähenbühl and Silvia Nadenbousch: Simon Krähenbühl and Silvia Nadenbousch are the co-founders of ILEVE OPTICS, an eyewear brand which consists of two separate lines: LARS Brillen, a prescription and sunglasses B2B brand sold to opticians across Switzerland, and ILEVE DISTRICT, a

Sep 17, 2023 • 26:12

EP #341 - Daniel Meyer & Marie So: Stylish and Sustainable

EP #341 - Daniel Meyer & Marie So: Stylish and Sustainable

This episode was sponsored by quitt.business. Timestamps: 02:18 - Their career backgrounds 06:25 - Starting a company with a romantic partner 12:57 - Convincing customers to buy their product 20:37 - Importance of customer experience 30:17 - How did acquisition change their view on growth? About Daniel Meyer and Marie So: Daniel Meyer and Marie So are the co-founders and CEO and CSO, respectively, of EGO Movement. EGO Movement was founded in 2015 and provides smart, connected mobility solutions

Sep 13, 2023 • 40:50

EP #340 - Jon Eisler: Providing Telemedicine for Every Man

EP #340 - Jon Eisler: Providing Telemedicine for Every Man

Timestamps: 01:06 - The motivation to start the company 07:26 - The team’s experience 12:19 - How do they stand out in the market? 14:36 - Toughest challenge so far 17:47 - Raising capital About Jon Eisler: Jon Eisler is the co-founder & CEO of Everyman, who are improving access to men's health through digital innovation. Jon received a BA in Business Administration from St.Gallen. After that, he went to LSE (London School of Economics and Political Science), where he completed a master

Sep 10, 2023 • 22:38

EP #339: Loulia Kassem: Making an Impact from Syria to Switzerland

EP #339: Loulia Kassem: Making an Impact from Syria to Switzerland

Timestamps: 03:54 - Starting her first company in Syria  11:13 - First contact with Switzerland 16:12 - Explaining what biomarkers are 19:10 - How Rea Diagnostics helps determine pre-term birth symptoms 21:55 -  Rea Diagnostic’s go-to-market process About Loulia Kassem: Loulia Kassem is the co-founder and CEO of Rea Diagnostics, a medtech company that created a device to help pregnant women and their doctors monitor the risk of pre-term birth. Originally from Syria, she received a bachelor's de

Sep 6, 2023 • 27:16

EP #338 - Carlo Badini, Jeremias Meier, Flavio Pfaffhauser & Aileen Zumstein: The Dark Side of Entrepreneurship

EP #338 - Carlo Badini, Jeremias Meier, Flavio Pfaffhauser & Aileen Zumstein: The Dark Side of Entrepreneurship

Timestamps: 08:43 - Bad experiences when first starting their companies 12:15 - Going from university into entrepreneurship 18:23 - The stress of running out of money 24:54 - Dealing with loneliness 34:24 - Importance of humbleness About Carlo Badini, Jeremias Meier, Flavio Pfaffhauser and Aileen Zumstein: Carlo Badini is the founder and CEO of Pabio, a company that gets your apartment fully furnished by a professional interior designer and rents high-quality furniture on a monthly subscription

Sep 3, 2023 • 48:06

 Ep #337 - Philipp Stauffer, Myriam Locher & Flavio Pfaffhauser: Managing Startups in Difficult Times

Ep #337 - Philipp Stauffer, Myriam Locher & Flavio Pfaffhauser: Managing Startups in Difficult Times

Timestamps: 05:45 - Managing uncertain paths 06:38 - Advice for companies focusing on profitability 11:17 - How to look after employees in hard times 16:13 - Convincing people to invest in uncertain times 26:14 - Advice to early startups About Philipp Stauffer, Myriam Locher & Flavio Pfaffhauser: Philipp Stauffer is the co-founder and Managing Director of FYRFLY Venture Partners, an early-stage technology venture firm. Myriam Locher is the co-CEO of Locatee, a workplace analytics solution t

Aug 30, 2023 • 28:50

EP #336 - Raffaello D’Andrea: Developing an Amazing Product as a Guidepost

EP #336 - Raffaello D’Andrea: Developing an Amazing Product as a Guidepost

Timestamps: 04:16 - Selling Kiva to Amazon 07:43 - Working with hardware and software 16:23 - Their business models 25:46 - Ways to lower carbon footprint 31:13 - Reasons Switzerland is a good place to start a company About Raffaello D'Andrea: Raffaello D'Andrea is the co-founder and CEO of Verity, a robotics company specializing in self-flying drones that conduct warehouse inspections. He was born in Italy but moved to Canada during his childhood and, later in life, completed all his s

Aug 23, 2023 • 40:11

EP #335 - Fred Destin: The Importance of Well-Designed Company Values

EP #335 - Fred Destin: The Importance of Well-Designed Company Values

Timestamps: 8:11 - Building trust in your co-founder 6:10 - Samurais and startups 11:49 - Well-designed values 17:05 - Co-designing with users 21:04 - Defining work/life balance About Fred Destin: Fred Destin is the founder of Stride Venture Capital, an artisan venture capital fund focused primarily on the U.K. and France. He received his Master's from Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management and later got his MBA at HKUST Business School in Hong Kong. Starting his career at J.P.

Aug 16, 2023 • 28:52

EP #334 - Judith Häberli: Making Moves for Accessible Mobility

EP #334 - Judith Häberli: Making Moves for Accessible Mobility

Timestamps: 2:40 - Judith’s non-linear career path 10:26 - How to separate work from your personal life 17:20 - Climate crisis contribution 21:06 - How does the leasing model work? 34:30 - Finding the right clients About Judith Häberli: Judith Häberli is the co-founder and COO of Urban Connect, which offers low-emission shared mobility solutions for companies. Judith's path to entrepreneurship was nonlinear: she first studied acting at the European Film Actor School but later ventured into

Aug 9, 2023 • 58:53

EP #333 - Marc Seidel: Alternative Investing & Cautionary Tales

EP #333 - Marc Seidel: Alternative Investing & Cautionary Tales

Timestamps: 3:02 - How Crypto is currently doing 9:25 - Why the ultra-wealthy invest in Crypto 13:39 - Investing in different countries 30:42 - What is their business management model? 38:45 - A healthy relationship between cost, benefit and potential About Marc Seidel: Marc Seidel is a co-initiator & strategy manager at AltAlpha Strategies, which provides innovative and effective alternative investment strategies and advisory services. He has a degree in Banking and Finance from the Univer

Aug 2, 2023 • 48:06

 EP #332 - Tigran Petrosyan: Farewell PhD, Hello AI

EP #332 - Tigran Petrosyan: Farewell PhD, Hello AI

Timestamps: 06:06 - Having no entrepreneurial background 13:31 - Why Tigran dropped out of his PhD program 17:15 - The industries targeted by SuperAnnotate 18:25 - The business model behind it 24:28 - The importance of mentorship support About Tigran Petrosyan: Tigran Petrosyan is the co-founder and president of SuperAnnotate, an end-to-end platform to annotate, version, and manage data for your AI. He spent much of his life in academia, starting with a Bachelor's in Physics from Yerevan St

Jul 26, 2023 • 37:50

Ep #331 - Omar Bawa: When LinkedIn Met TikTok

Ep #331 - Omar Bawa: When LinkedIn Met TikTok

Timestamps: 04:28 - Humanitarian Background 10:58 - Gen Z’s need their own LinkedIn 17:46 - What is their Business Model? 19:06 - The Chicken and Egg Problem 21:15 - Goals for a Greener Economy About Omar Bawa:  Omar Bawa is the co-founder and COO of Goodwall, whose mission is to level the professional playing field for youth globally, helping 2m+ young talent in 150+ countries develop skills, showcase skills, and connect to opportunity. He received a law degree from the University of Geneva an

Jul 19, 2023 • 31:32

EP #330 - Deana Mohr-Haralampieva: Tissue Engineering to Solve Incontinence

EP #330 - Deana Mohr-Haralampieva: Tissue Engineering to Solve Incontinence

Timestamps: 03:22 - Swiss women in STEM 08:10 - The high demand for incontinence testing 10:07 - Positive feedback from trials 15:29 - The challenges when conducting trials 20:17 - Funding difficulties About Deana Mohr-Haralampieva:  Deana Mohr-Haralampieva is the CEO & co-founder at MUVON Therapeutics, a groundbreaking startup developing a therapeutic platform for the regeneration of skeletal muscle tissue. With a background in radiopharmaceutical sciences, tissue engineering, and STEM cell th

Jul 12, 2023 • 30:08

EP #329 - Péter Fankhauser: Robotics as a Service

EP #329 - Péter Fankhauser: Robotics as a Service

Timestamps: 01:23 - Choosing robotics as his career 08:06 - Building a customer base 17:28 - How AI is used in robotics 19:47 - What does RaaS entail? (Robotics as a Service) 32:17 - How to raise money in a tricky economy About Péter Fankhauser: Péter Fankhauser is the CEO and co-founder at ANYbotics, a robotics company that develops autonomous robots for industrial inspections. He started his robotics journey at ETH Zurich, receiving a Master's and Ph.D. in Robotics. The idea for the company wa

Jul 5, 2023 • 40:45

EP #328 - Cédric Waldburger: Extreme Traveling, Calculated Investing

EP #328 - Cédric Waldburger: Extreme Traveling, Calculated Investing

Timestamps: 8:17 - The great 24 hour adventure  15:15 - Dealing with the crypto dip 18:52 - How to handle market collapse  25:55 - The impact of inflation when holding cash  39:05 - Advice for investing in uncertain times  About Cédric Waldburger: Cédric Waldburger describes himself as a startup investor, an essentialist, and an explorer, and from a young age he knew he wanted to start his own ventures: his first was at 14. He went on to get a degree in Electrical Engineering from ETH Zurich. He

Jul 2, 2023 • 47:15

EP #327 - Jan Lichtenberg: Replacing Animal Testing with 3D Printed Models

EP #327 - Jan Lichtenberg: Replacing Animal Testing with 3D Printed Models

About Jan Lichtenberg: Jan Lichtenberg is the CEO and board member of InSphero, a medtech company specializing in 3D printed models used for in vitro testing with easy-to-use solutions for producing, culturing, and assessing more organotypic 3D cell culture models. He has a solid scientific background of 10 total years of study, beginning with an MS in Microtechnology from the University of Bremen, followed by a Masters in Microelectronics from EPFL, and then completing his Ph.D. at Université d

Jun 29, 2023 • 46:22

EP #326 - Frank Floessel: Prioritizing Company Values

EP #326 - Frank Floessel: Prioritizing Company Values

Timestamps: 4:46 - The evolution of the Swiss ecosystem  11:08  - Building a resilient company 31:41 - Work/life balance 32:40 - Frank’s 3 biggest entrepreneurial lessons  41:30 - Becoming an investor and the logical next steps As a serial entrepreneur, investor, and coach, Frank Floessel has had a rich and wide-ranging career, starting from his university days at ETH Zurich, where he received a Master's in electrical engineering and co-founded and was the first president of ETH Juniors, w

Jun 21, 2023 • 57:07

 EP #325 - Cédric Waldburger: Investing in Fluctuating Markets as a Digital Nomad

EP #325 - Cédric Waldburger: Investing in Fluctuating Markets as a Digital Nomad

Timestamps: 1:36 - Views on the current market conditions  3:50 - Does rising inflation concern you and your investments?  08:54 - Handling the emotional component of investing  13:29 - Dealing with negativity in your portfolio  23:24 - Moving to Dubai and beyond About Cédric Waldburger: Cédric Waldburger describes himself as a startup investor, an essentialist, and an explorer, and from a young age he knew he wanted to start his own ventures: his first was at 14. He went on to get a degree i

Jun 14, 2023 • 39:15

EP #324 - Alexander Limpert: Making Homes Feel Like Hotels

EP #324 - Alexander Limpert: Making Homes Feel Like Hotels

Timestamps: 02:59 - Working across cultures and countries 08:37 - How they came up with the idea for GuestReady 21:45 - Selling your software 24:11 - Handling a hospitality company during the COVID-19 pandemic 36:50 - Choosing to grow through acquisition About Alexander Limpert: Alexander Limpert, the co-founder and CEO of GuestReady, a tech-driven accommodation brand focused on short-term rentals, has had a diverse and exciting career, including working in Taiwan and the Philippines. He has a

Jun 7, 2023 • 46:37

EP #323 - Alexander Ciritsis: Medtech AI for Early Cancer Detection

EP #323 - Alexander Ciritsis: Medtech AI for Early Cancer Detection

Timestamps: 6:48 - The market gap in radiology 15:47 - The accurateness of AI models 17:31 - Software patenting 26:35 - b-rayZ’ subscription model 33:02 - Going international from day 1 About Alexander Ciritsis: Alexander Ciritsis is the co-founder and CTO at b-rayZ, an AI medical software for breast cancer early detection. He holds a PhD in Medical Science from RWTH Aachen University and was a researcher at University Hospital Aachen and Universitätsspital Zürich before starting b-rayZ in 2019

May 31, 2023 • 45:57

EP #322 - Andreas Schollin-Borg: How To Run A People Business

EP #322 - Andreas Schollin-Borg: How To Run A People Business

Timestamps: 4:47 - How the idea for Batmaid started in a New York apartment 6:45 - The importance of social responsibility in business 17:15 - Profitability in a people business 24:22 - Building a strong brand in Switzerland’s different regions 36:48 - Journey of finding investment About Andreas Schollin-Borg: Andreas Schollin-Borg always knew he wanted to become an entrepreneur. At the age of 16 he began a small business selling caps, and the bug bit. Due to his father’s insistence, he obtaine

May 24, 2023 • 50:27

EP #321 - Laurent Decrue: Iterating Your Product To Greatness

EP #321 - Laurent Decrue: Iterating Your Product To Greatness

Timestamps: 7:13 - Product building mistakes 11:13 - What makes a great product 17:42 - Prioritizing certain product features 27:10 - Key roles in a product team 34:20 - Maintaining a strong culture About Laurent Decrue: Laurent Decrue is the co-founder of the moving company MOVU and the software company Holycode, and the former CEO at Bexio. Currently he is active as CFO and co-CEO at Holycode. He holds an MBA from the University of Basel and previously worked at DeinDeal. Throughout his time

May 18, 2023 • 45:43

EP #320 - Nathalie Moral: Investing in Our Climate

EP #320 - Nathalie Moral: Investing in Our Climate

Timestamps: 09:49 - How Nathalie got into climate entrepreneurship 12:02 - The tipping point: How close is it? 15:25 - How can richer countries like Switzerland play a role? 27:54 - Simultaneously being an investment and impact firm  34:08 - How can the economy adapt to climate-centered frameworks? About Nathalie Moral: Nathalie Moral is the founder and CEO of Clima Now, a foundation that finances and invests in climate solutions She received a degree in business administration from the Univers

May 10, 2023 • 56:23

EP #319 - Dennis Just: The Acquisition Masterclass

EP #319 - Dennis Just: The Acquisition Masterclass

Timestamps: 04:29 - Meeting Smallpdf 14:37 - Backstabbed by a competitor 22:50 - Identifying acquisition targets 44:39 - Structuring the deal 51:30 - Announcing the acquisition About Dennis Just: Dennis Just is a serial entrepreneur and the former CEO at smallpdf, the rapidly growing and fully bootstrapped PDF powerhouse. He holds a BSc in Economics and Engineering from the Technische Universität Berlin and previously founded companies like dSLASH.de, compreo.de, TopFachhandel.de, Numbrs, and K

May 3, 2023 • 1:06:23

EP #318 - Dominik Megert: Selling Gift Cards In Switzerland

EP #318 - Dominik Megert: Selling Gift Cards In Switzerland

Timestamps: 8:27 - How to know if you can work well with someone 14:28 - Gift cards in Switzerland 18:55 - Building trust in e-commerce 25:18 - Credit card fraud and liability 28:55 - Getting big brands on board About Dominik Megert: Dominik Megert is the founder and CEO at offerz, a company which provides the largest assortment of digital vouchers and gift cards in Switzerland. He studied Retail Trade at the Business School Thun and started offerz when he finished his studies, in 2015.  Wheth

Apr 26, 2023 • 44:09

EP #317 - Pascal Bieri: The 4 Ingredient Meat Alternative

EP #317 - Pascal Bieri: The 4 Ingredient Meat Alternative

Timestamps: 6:05 - Coming up with planted recipes 7:18 - What’s wrong with livestock farming 10:56 - How vegetable protein compares 16:20 - Why Planted is better than meat 28:00 - Production costs in Switzerland About Pascal Bieri: Pascal Bieri is the co-founder of Planted, a startup creating healthy plant-based meat alternatives. He holds an MA in Informations-, Media- and Technology Management from the University of St Gallen, and previously worked in companies like SweetWorks Confections and

Apr 19, 2023 • 42:22

EP #316 - Andrea Belliger: Die Vielseitige Karriere

EP #316 - Andrea Belliger: Die Vielseitige Karriere

Timestamps: 01:35 - Change as a career navigator 06:46 - Being open to failure 14:12 - The role of foundations in the Swiss ecosystem 28:06 - Why and how to question yourself 33:21 - The pressure for change in Switzerland is too small About Andrea Belliger: Andrea Belliger is the director of the Institut für Kommunikation und Führung, Switzerland's leading educational research and consulting institution. She studied at the University of Lucerne, majoring in theology, philosophy, and history

Apr 16, 2023 • 40:36

EP #315 - Ulrike Pfreundt: Bringing Coral Reefs Back To Life

EP #315 - Ulrike Pfreundt: Bringing Coral Reefs Back To Life

Timestamps: 9:30 - The effect of climate change on coral rrreefs 14:54 - 3D printed terracotta clay  17:46 - Testing the product, having a breakdown 28:18 - How rrreefs makes money 38:12 - Tackling reef destruction at the source About Ulrike Pfreundt: Ulrike Pfreundt is the co-founder and Head of Science and Development at rrreefs, a startup rebuilding coral reefs to restore marine biodiversity and protect coast lines. She holds a PhD in Molecular Genetics/Experimental Bioinformatics and was pre

Apr 12, 2023 • 47:10

EP #314 - Hilda Liswani: Prioritizing Diversity and Inclusion in Switzerland

EP #314 - Hilda Liswani: Prioritizing Diversity and Inclusion in Switzerland

Timestamps: 05:31 - The current state of gender diversity in Switzerland 9:00 - Obstacles women face in the workplace 11:12 - Are there ways to fix this problem? 20:34 - Benefits of diverse teams 23:10 - 3 ways to make Switzerland more diverse About Hilda Liswani: The daughter of a Namibian diplomat, Hilda Liswani has lived in many places, including South Africa, Ethiopia, and the UK. The experience of always being an outsider looking in has shaped her perspective toward diversity and inclusion

Apr 9, 2023 • 28:24

EP #313 - Pascale Vonmont: Foundations in Switzerland

EP #313 - Pascale Vonmont: Foundations in Switzerland

Timestamps: 14:15 - Building a foundation  17:55 - Managing public perception of foundations 22:11 - Determining the success of a program 26:33 - Gebert Rüf’s funding strategy 33:00 - Why Switzerland is a great ecosystem About Pascale Vonmont: Pascale Vonmont is the director of the Gebert Rüf Stiftung, which funds innovative Swiss university projects. She is also a board member at Swiss Foundations, VentureKick and the Swiss National Science Foundation, and a jury member of EY “Entrepreneur of

Apr 5, 2023 • 42:24

EP #312 - Fabian Mächler: A Grape a Day Keeps the Doctor Away

EP #312 - Fabian Mächler: A Grape a Day Keeps the Doctor Away

Timestamps: 5:01 - How do Swiss companies currently look after their employees? 08:35 - Why was insurance the business model of choice? 14:03 - The 3 phases of employee healthcare 21:23 - Choosing whether or not to partner 29:36 - Reactive vs. preventative care About Fabian Mächler After getting his degree in Computer Science from ETH Zurich and having a background in highly competitive sports, as his mother and grandfather were competitive endurance athletes, Fabian Mächler figured out early o

Apr 2, 2023 • 35:53

EP #311 - Tobias Gunzenhauser, Léa Miggiano & Flavio Pfaffhauser: Going Big, In Switzerland and Abroad

EP #311 - Tobias Gunzenhauser, Léa Miggiano & Flavio Pfaffhauser: Going Big, In Switzerland and Abroad

Timestamps: 6:48 - Entering an American vs a European market 12:55 - Do Swiss companies need to go international 16:45 - Compromises when going international 20:04 - Bootstrapping or fundraising 25:49 - When talent doesn’t come to you About Tobias Gunzehauser, Léa Miggiano & Flavio Pfaffhauser: Flavio Pfaffhauser is a co-founder and CIO at Beekeeper, a frontline operating system which helps companies ditch paper and manual processes to improve employee engagement, retention, and performance

Mar 29, 2023 • 29:10

EP #310 - Philippe Teissonniere: Startups as an Asset Class

EP #310 - Philippe Teissonniere: Startups as an Asset Class

Timestamps: 6:39 - Are startups the future of investing? 13:22 - Defining your investment strategy 22:04 - The art and science of valuation 27:44 - Glossary of investment terms 37:04 - Access to good deal flow About Philippe Teissonniere: Philippe Teissonniere is a co-founder and COO at Leva, the tech stack for the venture capital industry. He holds a MA in Law & Economics from HSG and previously worked at companies like db-Legal and Bleuer & Kleger, before starting Leva in 2019. Leva o

Mar 26, 2023 • 55:42

EP #309 - Francine Gervazio: Becoming CEO of a High-Growth SaaS Company

EP #309 - Francine Gervazio: Becoming CEO of a High-Growth SaaS Company

Timestamps: 6:42 - The freight industry 13:41 - The true cost of every vehicle 18:46 - From VP of Customer Success to CEO 27:00 - Operating system of a high growth company 39:13 - CEOs being hands-on with finance About Francine Gervazio: ⁠Francine Gervazio⁠ is the CEO at ⁠Avrios⁠, an innovative fleet management software. She holds an MBA from the Babson F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business, Massachusetts, and previously worked at companies like Aquila Institute and Rocket Internet SE. She foun

Mar 22, 2023 • 59:37

EP #308 - Fajer Mushtaq: The Dangerous Pollution in Swiss Waters

EP #308 - Fajer Mushtaq: The Dangerous Pollution in Swiss Waters

Timestamps: 9:02 - The problem of water contamination 15:29 - Nanotechnology and micro-pollutants 17:09 - Remediation vs tackling the source 19:52 - Oxyle’s customers 33:42 - Attracting talent as a cleantech startup About Fajer Mushtaq: Fajer Mushtaq is the co-founder and CEO at Oxyle, a cleantech startup with a    game-changing water remediation technology. She holds a PhD in Micro- and Nanotechnology for Environmental Remediation from ETH and previously worked there as a BRIDGE Proof-of-Conce

Mar 19, 2023 • 41:30

EP #307 - Lara Riparip: The Swiss Coding Academy For Girls

EP #307 - Lara Riparip: The Swiss Coding Academy For Girls

Timestamps: 1:47 - From the US to Switzerland 10:37 - Teaching girls to code 25:43 - Non-profit & a day job 32:45 - How to spot burnout 50:51 - Rapid fire questions About Lara Riparip: Lara Riparip is the co-founder of and an instructor at GirlsCodeToo, a coding academy for girls striving to breach the gender gap in STEM. She holds an MSc in Neural Systems and Computation from ETH and previously worked as a Staff Research Associate at the University of California. She currently works as a F

Mar 15, 2023 • 52:50

EP #306 - Arman Anatürk: Foodtech and Climate Change

EP #306 - Arman Anatürk: Foodtech and Climate Change

Timestamps: 2:32 - Startups and climate change 11:00 - The impact of food production/distribution 15:53 - Transgenic foods 18:10 - Vertical farming 21:42 - Food packaging About Arman Anatürk: Arman Anatürk is the co-founder of the cleantech fund HackCapital and a founding member at FoodHack, the world’s largest foodtech community. He previously worked for companies like CoderCourse and OneRoof Agency. Arman is very enthusiastic about the role cleantech startups can play in successfully navigati

Mar 12, 2023 • 40:40

EP #305 - Alex Blania: Defy For Global Financial Empowerment

EP #305 - Alex Blania: Defy For Global Financial Empowerment

Timestamps: 16:47 - The idea for Worldcoin 21:49 - Proof of personhood 26:01 - People without access to smartphones 27:56 - What you can do with Worldcoin 37:50 - When Worldcoin will launch About Alex Blania: Alex Blania is the co-founder and CEO at Worldcoin, a startup issuing a new, decentralized global currency that will be distributed fairly to as many people as possible. He holds a BSc with a double major in Physics and Mechanical Engineering from the FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg and was previous

Mar 8, 2023 • 46:33

EP #304 - Christoph Bertschi: What Every Founder Should Know

EP #304 - Christoph Bertschi: What Every Founder Should Know

Timestamps: 11:40 - Where great ideas come from 15:07 - Founders should have a sales role 18:25 - Raising funds 21:22 - Making the first hires 30:15 - Physical and mental health About Christoph Bertschi: Christoph Bertschi is the co-founder and CEO at SmartBreed, a startup developing a decentralized upcycling technology to fully exploit the potential of insects. He holds a MSc in Banking and International Finance from Cass Business School, London and previously worked as a consultant at Simon-K

Mar 5, 2023 • 36:19

EP #303 - Jonathan Roberts: A Comprehensive Guide To M&A

EP #303 - Jonathan Roberts: A Comprehensive Guide To M&A

Timestamps: 9:54 - Preparing for an M&A 16:58 - The right time to sell 27:46 - Drafting a list of potential buyers 43:55 - Disagreeing on the purchase price 1:05:25 - What to do yourself vs delegate About Jonathan Roberts: Jonathan Roberts is the director and co-founder of Menalto Advisors, an IT-focused M&A advisory firm headquartered in Silicon Valley and with a strong presence in Europe. He holds a BSc in Accountancy & Management from Miami University and worked as a consultant for Deloitte

Mar 1, 2023 • 1:13:25

EP#302 - Roman Odermatt: Paying Green

EP#302 - Roman Odermatt: Paying Green

Timestamps: 5:48 - Carbon should cost you 9:27 - Convincing Innosuisse 17:39 - How much you pay with PayGreen 25:02 - Why you can’t greenwash PayGreen 31:50 - Fundraising through daura About Roman Odermatt: Roman Odermatt is the co-founder and CEO at PayGreen, a startup developing an ecological payment method to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Roman holds an MSc in Entrepreneurship from the University of Bern and previously helped build the pharma startup InnoMedica Holding. He created PayGree

Feb 26, 2023 • 51:09

EP #301 - Lars Mangelsdorf: B2B Sales Breakdown

EP #301 - Lars Mangelsdorf: B2B Sales Breakdown

Timestamps: 3:36 - Lead generating strategies 10:09 - Cultivating a relationship with your leads 12:29 - Creating a sense of urgency 18:58 - Special offers and free trials 26:44 - Favorite tools About Lars Mangelsdorf: Lars Mangelsdorf is the co-founder and CCO at Yokoy, a spending management software company which enables companies to automate their expense and credit card processes using artificial intelligence. He previously worked as Senior Account Executive at Beekeeper. Back in Spring 202

Feb 22, 2023 • 34:31

EP #300 - Beat Schillig & Jordi Montserrat: Venture Kicking You To Success

EP #300 - Beat Schillig & Jordi Montserrat: Venture Kicking You To Success

Timestamps: 01:55 - Getting into entrepreneurship 09:16 - IFJ, Venturelab and Venture Kick 17:34 - Where the name "Venture Kick" comes from 33:05 - The importance of foundations 45:12 - Where the Swiss ecosystem is headed About Jordi Montserrat and Beat Schillig: Jordi Montserrat and Beat Schillig are the co-founders of Venturelab, a set of flagship startup programs to support the best entrepreneurial talents in Switzerland, including Venture Kick, Venture Leaders, the TOP 100 Swiss

Feb 19, 2023 • 51:09

EP #299 - Vincent Bieri: A Swiss Unicorn

EP #299 - Vincent Bieri: A Swiss Unicorn

Timestamps: 5:55 - 30yo millionaires & the dot com crash 9:02 - Starting from scratch 36:35 - How to stick to your goals 52:50 - Reaching unicorn status 1:05:50 - Hiring good sales people About Vincent Bieri: Vincent Bieri is the co-founder of Nexthink, a leader in digital employee experience management software and one of the rare Swiss unicorns. He studied Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Applied Sciences of Fribourg, and later went on to work for Cisco for 7 years, b

Feb 15, 2023 • 1:35:32

EP #298 - Igor Fisch: Chess Moves & Pharma Spin-Offs

EP #298 - Igor Fisch: Chess Moves & Pharma Spin-Offs

Timestamps: 5:37 - Founding Selexis in 2001 11:46 - Acquiring the first customers 15:18 - Getting a patent 21:16 - IP and license deals 24:00 - Serving on the VentureKick board About Igor Fisch: Igor Fisch is the founder and former CEO/President/Chairman at Selexis, a life-sciences Geneva-based company, and current president of the Romandie innovation incubator Fongit. He holds a PhD in Biology from the University of Geneva and previously worked as an assistant professor at the University of La

Feb 12, 2023 • 39:19

EP #297 - Stefany Barker: Diversifying the Tech Space

EP #297 - Stefany Barker: Diversifying the Tech Space

Timestamps: 6:38 - GirlsinTech Venture 20:55 - Being a woman in tech 25:19 - The journey from an operational to an advisory role 29:32 - Starting WaaS Websites 44:10 - The future of tech About Stefany Barker: In addition to being a tech lead at Palantir, one of the world's leading data science companies, Stefany Barker is also an entrepreneur and investor. She pursued an MSc in management, information systems and innovation at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). Stefany

Feb 8, 2023 • 59:18

EP #296 - Tobias Kistler: A 100% Natural Meat Alternative

EP #296 - Tobias Kistler: A 100% Natural Meat Alternative

Timestamps: 11:32- Unhealthy Meat Alternatives 11:32 - The Fermentation Process 20:14 - Getting the Bio Swiss Label 25:47 - Getting into the biggest Swiss retailers 32:04 - Participating in Venture Kick About Tobias Kistler: Tobias Kistler is a co-founder of Luya, a foodtech startup creating deliciously sustainable vegan alternatives to meat. He holds an MA from the ETH Zürich and previously worked as a researcher at the Berner Fachhochschule. Luya has found a way to provide meat alternatives w

Feb 5, 2023 • 42:53

EP #295 - Christina Hertel: Responsible Entrepreneurship

EP #295 - Christina Hertel: Responsible Entrepreneurship

Timestamps: 13:31 - Defining a Sustainable Business 23:14 - How to Measure Success as a Company 29:08 - Changing Governmental Sustainable Policies 35:26 - Dealing with Climate Change Deniers 37:19 - The Circular Economy About Christina Hertel: Christina Hertel is the project manager at LEVO, at the Enterprise for Society Center (E4S), a joint initiative from 3 institutions of renowned excellence: the University of Lausanne, the Institute for Management Development and the Ecole Polytechni

Feb 1, 2023 • 47:32

EP #294 - Julian Massler & Mathias Wegmüller: The Power of Franchising

EP #294 - Julian Massler & Mathias Wegmüller: The Power of Franchising

Timestamps: 01:58 - How it all started 07:16 - What a franchising model is 16:53 -  A company vs a franchise 22:53 - Franchise system FAQs 31:14  - Future scope & mission 100 About Julian Massler & Mathias Wegmüller: Julian Massler is the co-founder and CEO at AURUM Fit, a gym which provides innovative high-intensity fitness training. Julian Massler studied economics at the University of Konstanz. Mathias Wegmüller is an early investor and board member at AURUM Fit who studied environmental hea

Jan 29, 2023 • 40:24

EP #293 - Florian & Gian Grundböck: From Selling T-Shirts to Selling Gin

EP #293 - Florian & Gian Grundböck: From Selling T-Shirts to Selling Gin

Timestamps: 01:30 - The early days of Deux Frères 12:42 - Creating the perfect recipe 16:53 - The importance of building a good brand 23:09 - Market expansion & distribution 33:48 - Working together as brothers About Florian & Gian Grundböck: Florian and Gian Grundböck are the founders of Deux Frères, a gin company. Before founding Deux Fréres in 2016, Gian studied business administration and was a professional handball player at Grasshopper Club Zürich, and then went on to work for an architec

Jan 25, 2023 • 42:58

EP #292 - Job van der Voort: Global Hiring Has Never Been Easier

EP #292 - Job van der Voort: Global Hiring Has Never Been Easier

Timestamps: 06:01 - Life in Portugal 11:03 - Remote Work and its Appeal 20:43 - Dealing with Bureaucracies & Competitors 23:27 - Company Culture 34:14 - Getting to Unicorn Status About Job van der Voort: Job van der Voort is the co-founder and CEO of Remote.com, the world’s fastest-growing employment network that allows companies to easily and transparently hire worldwide. He studied his bachelor's in psychonomics and pursued a master's degree in cognitive neuroscience at the University of

Jan 18, 2023 • 46:31

EP #291 - Philipp Stauffer: Office, Hybrid or Remote?

EP #291 - Philipp Stauffer: Office, Hybrid or Remote?

Timestamps: 02:42 - Pros of the Physical Office 05:28 - Cons of the Physical Office 09:09 - Advantages of a Fully Remote Setup 11:43 - The Hybrid Model Approach 13:11 - A Purposeful Meeting Place About Philipp Stauffer: Philipp Stauffer is the co-founder and managing director of FYRFLY Venture Partners, a venture capital firm that invests in companies using data and intelligence to build their competitive advantage. His investments have included AngelList, Philz Coffee, and Beekeeper, among man

Jan 15, 2023 • 21:29

EP #290 - Benedikt Schuppli: Making Blockchain Work for the Real Economy

EP #290 - Benedikt Schuppli: Making Blockchain Work for the Real Economy

Timestamps: 02:52 - The Swiss Blockchain Market 06:51 - Entrepreneurship in the Blood Line 12:51 - What is the eNote? 24:11 - Building Trust Around the Technology 27:58 - The Challenge of Raising Funds About Benedikt Schuppli: Benedikt Schuppli is the co-founder and co-CEO of Obligate, a blockchain company and the hub for tokenized debt. He studied law at the University of Zürich and always had a knack for the way financial markets work. After law school, he worked at a

Jan 11, 2023 • 34:46

EP #289 - Julie Maples: Putting on the Sales Hat as a Founder

EP #289 - Julie Maples: Putting on the Sales Hat as a Founder

Timestamps: 01:33 - Building vs Selling the Product 06:01 - Outsourcing Sales 09:00 - How to Win Your First Customer 11:02 - Tips on Improving Your Sales Pitch 12:19 - A Founder's Unique Role About Julie Maples: Julie Maples is a co-founder and managing director at FYRFLY Ventures, where she has made investments in companies such as Boundless, Rosalyn.ai, and Mobi Systems, among others. She also serves on the board of the V Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports cancer research. At

Jan 8, 2023 • 14:47

EP #288 - Tomoko Yokoi: Deciding To Become Your Own Boss

EP #288 - Tomoko Yokoi: Deciding To Become Your Own Boss

Timestamps: 07:35 - Curiosity Breeds Entrepreneurship 15:09 - The Fall of Dermintel 23:24 - Digital Transformation Best Practices for Companies 33:03 - Inclusivity in the Tech Space 39:14 - Cognitive Flexibility and the Future of Work About Tomoko Yokoi: Tomoko Yokoi is a researcher and advisor in digital transformation at the IMD Business School and a lecturer at ETH Zürich. She also co-founded a market research startup, Dermintel. Before working in business, she studied International Developm

Jan 4, 2023 • 46:15

EP #287 - Julie Maples: A Founder's Guide to Fundraising

EP #287 - Julie Maples: A Founder's Guide to Fundraising

For a free masterclass on angel investing with DART Labs founder Sophie Lamparter and SICTIC president Thomas Dübendorfer, click here. Timestamps: 03:52 - Building Trust with Potential Investors 07:54 - How to Split Your Time Fundraising and Managing Your Business 08:57 - Who Should be Involved in the Fundraising process 10:48 - The Advisory Board's Role in the Fundraising Process 15:29 - How Long the Fundraising Process Takes About Julie Maples: Julie Maples is a co-founder and managing direc

Jan 1, 2023 • 18:33

EP #286 - Philipp Stauffer: How to Handle Competition as a Founder

EP #286 - Philipp Stauffer: How to Handle Competition as a Founder

Timestamps: 01:46 - The Animal Kingdom and the Competitive Ecosystem 05:52 - Differentiation in the Marketplace 08:12 - Reacting to Your Competitors in New Markets 12:47 - Communicating with Your Competitors 14:17 - Coping with the Acquisition of a Competitor About Philipp Stauffer: Philipp Stauffer is the co-founder and managing director of FYRFLY Venture Partners, a venture capital firm that invests in companies using data and intelligence to build their competitive advantage. His investments

Dec 26, 2022 • 17:34

EP #285 - Alex Pachikov: Drone Security With Sunflower Labs

EP #285 - Alex Pachikov: Drone Security With Sunflower Labs

Timestamps: 00:54 - What You Study Doesn’t Matter 07:18 -  Starting Sunflower Labs 25:04 - Bureaucracy & The Drone Space in Switzerland 35:36 - The Evernote Network 39:00 - Why Some Investors Didn’t Invest About Alex Pachikov: Alex Pachikov is the co-founder and CEO of Sunflower Labs, a remote and autonomous drone solution for property security. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2003 with a degree in Astronomy and Sociology. A decade later, he co-founded Sunflower Labs wit

Dec 21, 2022 • 53:42

EP #284 - Philipp Stauffer: How to Nail Your Board Meetings

EP #284 - Philipp Stauffer: How to Nail Your Board Meetings

Timestamps 01:19 - The Role of a Board 05:21 - How Often a Board Should Meet 10:15 - The Board Meeting Agenda 13:35 - How to Make Decisions as a Board 17:25 - The Importance of Good Communication About Philip Stauffer Philipp Stauffer is the co-founder and general partner of Fyrfly Venture Partners, a venture capital firm that invests in companies using data and intelligence to build their competitive advantage. His investments have included AngelList, Philz Coffee, and Beekeeper, among many ot

Dec 18, 2022 • 27:07

EP #283 - Tobias Rein: Going Back to the Drawing Board

EP #283 - Tobias Rein: Going Back to the Drawing Board

Timestamps: 05:00- The Change in the Travel Market 16:10 - GetYourGuide’s Business Model 30:38 - The Dawn of the Pandemic 39:13 - Growth Strategies 49:22 - Navigating the Future About Tobias Rein: Tobias Rein is the co-founder and Principal Engineer at GetYourGuide, a leading online booking platform for travel experiences. He studied Information Technology and Electrical Engineering at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zürich). During his studies, he also worked for the design agen

Dec 14, 2022 • 54:47

EP #282 - Stefan Muehlemann: Europe’s Leading Debt Capital Market Platform

EP #282 - Stefan Muehlemann: Europe’s Leading Debt Capital Market Platform

Timestamps: 1:47 - Building an Asian food company in the 90s 14:05 - Assembling the Loanboox co-founders 29:34 - UN’s development goals 36:08 - Meditation and entrepreneurship 40:00 - The Sparks IPO program About Stefan Muehlemann: Stefan Muehlemann is the founder, chairman and former CEO at Loanboox, the independent debt issuing platform that connects public sector, large corporate and real estate borrowers with banks and institutional investors. He holds an MBA in Business Administration and

Dec 11, 2022 • 54:39

EP #281 - Alan Cabello: Teaching Corporate Innovation

EP #281 - Alan Cabello: Teaching Corporate Innovation

Timestamps: 1:37 - From Mexico to Switzerland 10:44 - Corporate innovation 27:26 - Validating an idea 39:37 - Calculating client ROI 48:28 - Looking for a different type of investor About Alan Cabello: Alan Cabello is the founder of SparkLabs, Sparkworks and Sparkademy, three sister companies working towards a common goal: business innovation in Switzerland. He previously co-founded the startup Kooku and holds a PhD in Strategy & Innovation Management from the EPFL. Around 2013/2014, while

Dec 7, 2022 • 57:31

EP #280 - Ben James: The End of the Jack Welch Era and the Start of TP24

EP #280 - Ben James: The End of the Jack Welch Era and the Start of TP24

Timestamps: 00:07 - The Impact of GE on Ben James' Early Life 09:50 - The Start of TP24 21:45 - The Business Model: Secret Black Box 33:35 - Managing Mental Health: The Pressure of Being a Founder 48:38 - Six Sparks IPO Program About Ben James: Ben James, CEO of TP24, is an engineer at heart. After completing an engineering degree at Leeds University and working in the sales and operations department there, he started working at GE Capital full-time in sales and operations. During his studies,

Dec 4, 2022 • 59:13

EP #279 - David Heinemeier Hansson: Ruby On Rails, And What Came After It

EP #279 - David Heinemeier Hansson: Ruby On Rails, And What Came After It

Timestamps: 10:58 - Basecamp was born out of embarrassment 19:16 - Getting an offer from Bezos in 2005 38:50 - No email service is free 41:13 - What’s wrong with the cloud 47:56 - Quiet quitting About David Heinermeier Hansson: David Heinemeier Hansson, originally from Denmark, studied Business Administration at the Copenhagen Business School in the late 1990s. He is the founder of the open-source web framework, Ruby On Rails, and co-founder of 37Signals and HEY along with his business partner,

Nov 30, 2022 • 1:01:21

EP #278 - Bernhard Heusler: Führung im Profisport und im Business

EP #278 - Bernhard Heusler: Führung im Profisport und im Business

Timestamps: 05:00 Wozu werden Führungskräfte gebraucht? 16:10 Die gemeinsame Vision 31:12 Verhältnis Präsident // Trainer 36:02 Die Wichtigkeit von Wertschätzung & Anerkennung 43:40 Werden Führungskräfte gemacht oder geboren? Über Bernhard Heusler: Bernhard Heusler ist Mitgründer und Partner der Heusler Werthmüller Heitz AG, mit Hauptsitz in Basel und spezialisiert auf die Erbringung von Dienstleistungen im Bereich der Wirtschaftsberatung, des Sports und der Kultur. Der in Basel promovierte

Nov 27, 2022 • 49:31

EP #277 - Levent Künzi: Simplifying Swiss Real Estate

EP #277 - Levent Künzi: Simplifying Swiss Real Estate

Timestamps: 2:42 - 25yo and COO at a big company 11:00 - Building a company with your brother 17:35 - The Swiss real estate market 22:55 - Taking on investors to support crazy growth 27:58 - Avoiding a second hit of burnout About Levent Künzi: Levent Künzi is the co-founder and CEO at Properti, a technology-driven real estate company modernizing residential real estate. He holds a BSc in Business Administration, Marketing and Business Communications from Kalaidos Fachhochschule Schweiz and pre

Nov 23, 2022 • 37:02

EP #276 - Aurelio Perucca: Investing in Alternative Asset Classes

EP #276 - Aurelio Perucca: Investing in Alternative Asset Classes

Timestamps: 1:43 - PwC and entrepreneurship 9:49 - Investing in an alternative asset class 24:36 - What happens when the asset is sold 32:59 - How Splint Invest makes money 38:15 - Crowdfunding campaign closed after 5 days About Aurelio Perucca: Aurelio Perucca is the co-founder and CEO at Splint Invest, an alternative investment platform. He holds a MS in Business Administration from the University of Bern and previously worked at Stryker and PwC. Aurelio’s entrepreneurial journey all began in

Nov 20, 2022 • 44:10

EP#275 - Robert Piconi: From Ticino To The NYSE

EP#275 - Robert Piconi: From Ticino To The NYSE

Timestamps: 1:52 - From fossil fuels to clean energy 7:55 - Idealab and Energy Vault 14:20 - Hardware and software 29:03- Saying no to customers 43:50 - The intense schedule of going public About Robert Piconi: Robert Piconi is the co-founder and CEO at Energy Vault, a global energy storage company based in Ticino and publicly listed at NYSE. He previously worked at companies like BP, Alcatel and Spirent Communications. Despite his past in the oil business, Robert is currently dedicated to taki

Nov 16, 2022 • 55:43

EP #274 - Vincenzo Neidhardt: The Revolutionary AI Music Manager

EP #274 - Vincenzo Neidhardt: The Revolutionary AI Music Manager

Timestamps: 1:48 - Being passionate about music 9:32 - Helga’s origin story 18:25 - Management tasks in the music industry 32:22 - Creating trust 36:56 - Tokenizing shares with Daura About Vincenzo Neidhardt: Vincenzo Neidhardt is the Managing Partner at Helga, a hyper-focused digital manager that specializes in the use of data in the music world. He holds a BSc in Business Administration from HWZ and previously co-founded the booking agency Garasch Musig. Helga tackles an issue very relevant t

Nov 13, 2022 • 46:58

EP #273 - Luca Michas: Yamo’s Successful Growth Story

EP #273 - Luca Michas: Yamo’s Successful Growth Story

Timestamps: 8:00 - Sustainability and branding 23:01 - The yamo ingredients 32:10 - From baby food to snack bars 43:30 - The battle against regulation 1:03:34 - Raising a series B About Luca Michas: Luca Michas is the co-founder and CMO at Yamo, a B2C company revolutionizing the kid's food market with nutritious and organic options for kids of all ages. Luca holds an MA in Media & Communication / Marketing from the UZH and previously worked for companies like SodaStream International and the Ca

Nov 9, 2022 • 1:20:59

EP #272 - Raphael Schaad: The Next-Gen Calendar For Professionals And Teams

EP #272 - Raphael Schaad: The Next-Gen Calendar For Professionals And Teams

Timestamps: 6:38 - Working for Flipboard in 2011 18:16 - Hacking a calendar extension 22:51 - Getting into Y Combinator 39:00 - The “Batman” life of solo founders 56:58 - Getting acquired by Notion About Raphael Schaad: Raphael Schaad is the founder and CEO at Cron, a next-generation calendar software. Raphael holds an masters from MIT and a bachelors from the University of Applied Sciences Bern. He previously was a designer and engineer at Flipboard and a researcher at the MIT Medi

Nov 2, 2022 • 1:06:03

EP #271 - Hanna and Johan Åkerström: The Boostrapped Clean Personal Care Brand

EP #271 - Hanna and Johan Åkerström: The Boostrapped Clean Personal Care Brand

Timestamps: 2:48 - Being part of the FREITAG journey 12:27 - Meeting your romantic partner and co-founder 17:42 - Clean and ethical beauty 40:02 - Choosing to be bootstrapped 45:29 - Internationalizing the soap emporium About Hanna and Johan Åkerström: Hanna and Johan Åkerström are the co-founders of Soeder, a natural and ethical personal care product manufacturer based in Zurich, Switzerland. Hanna is a trained architect, and Johan studied International Working Science at the University of Got

Oct 26, 2022 • 1:04:00

EP #270 - Sebastien Tondeur: Surviving Covid As An Events Business

EP #270 - Sebastien Tondeur: Surviving Covid As An Events Business

Timestamps: 4:34 - Coming from a family business 10:37 - A hand-over from father to son 21:05 - Financial defenses against COVID 32:13 - Being a sustainability trailblazer 35:08 - The SIX IPO program About Sebastien Tondeur: Sebastien Tondeur is the CEO at MCI group, a global next-gen platform for marketing which was founded as a conference organizer in 1987 by Sebastien’s dad, Roger Tondeur. Sebastien studied Finance and International Business at Northeastern University in Boston and joined th

Oct 23, 2022 • 46:11

EP #269 - Silvan Krähenbühl: Silvan Takes A Back Seat

EP #269 - Silvan Krähenbühl: Silvan Takes A Back Seat

Timestamps: 10:10 - The Gymhopper story 22:00 - Stepping down from the CEO role 25:47 - How Silvan met Christian Hirsig 30:28 - Juggling two jobs plus Swisspreneur 36:52 - Where the Swiss ecosystem is headed About Silvan Krähenbühl: Silvan Krähenbühl is the host and managing director at Swisspreneur and current CEO at Rentouch, a Swiss enterprise software company developing products geared towards e-collaboration, and best known for the PIplanning app. He holds a BA in Business Administration f

Oct 19, 2022 • 43:16

EP #268 - Manuel Aschwanden: From Research Project To SME

EP #268 - Manuel Aschwanden: From Research Project To SME

Timestamps: 7:02 - Building a startup in 2008 14:08 - Selling to several different industries 18:06 - Growth to SME level 20:25 - The cultural fit 32:38 - The Sparks IPO Academy About Manuel Aschwanden: Manuel Aschwanden is the co-founder and CEO at Optotune, a company which develops optical components that allow customers around the globe to innovate. Prior to Optotune, Manuel has gained experience in engineering at Avalon and ABB, and he holds an MSc in Electrical Engineering and a PhD in Nan

Oct 16, 2022 • 39:38

EP #267 - Adela Wiener: The Dawn Of Low Code

EP #267 - Adela Wiener: The Dawn Of Low Code

Timestamps: 5:04 - Adela’s role model mom 14:18 - Creating a spin-off business 18:55 - Spin-off trade-offs 24:35 - Setting up your headquarters in Switzerland 35:40 - Growing and innovating About Adela Wiener: Adela Wiener is the co-founder & CEO at Aurachain, a simple and intuitive low-code platform that allows rapid creation of digital applications. She previously worked as a business development manager at the Romanian software company AGYS AG, and holds a PhD in Theory of Systems from U

Oct 12, 2022 • 43:43

EP #266 - Michele Bomio: An Entrepreneur From Ticino

EP #266 - Michele Bomio: An Entrepreneur From Ticino

Timestamps: 3:04 - Building a startup in 1990 13:01 - Joining Securecell 22:38 - The SPARKS Academy 30:09 - Clinical trials 31:16 - Medtech market trends About Michele Bomio: Michele Bomio is an investor and board member at Securecell, a high tech life sciences company focusing on biotech & medtech. After having built his first venture, SAM, in the 90s (an ETH spin-off delivering predictive modeling to the food industry), Michele was an external CEO at companies like Navyboot and Orell Füss

Oct 9, 2022 • 38:21

EP#265 - Sandra Tobler: Cybersecurity In Switzerland

EP#265 - Sandra Tobler: Cybersecurity In Switzerland

Timestamps: 1:40 - Having too many interests 11:11 - Testing an idea for a year 17:45 - Focusing on which problem to solve and how 19:30 - Building trust in the cybersecurity space 27:55 - What it takes to be an entrepreneur About Sandra Tobler: Sandra Tobler is the co-founder and CEO at Futurae Technologies, a startup providing future-proof, end user-centric authentication. She previously worked at IBM and the Switzerland Global Enterprise and holds an MA in International Affairs from the Grad

Oct 5, 2022 • 39:05

EP #264 - Jan Luescher: The Exclusive, Publicly-Listed Social Network

EP #264 - Jan Luescher: The Exclusive, Publicly-Listed Social Network

Timestamps: 13:46 - Being an external CEO 17:48 - Surviving in a saturated market 24:50 - Acquiring users and partners 33:14 - Going public on the Swiss stock exchange 38:17 - Choosing a direct listing About Jan Luescher: Jan Luescher is the CEO at ASMALLWORLD, an exclusive travel & lifestyle community. He previously worked as a Principal at Bain & Company and holds a MA in Strategy and International Management from HSG. ASMALLWORLD was founded in 2004 by a wealthy Swedish couple, and s

Sep 28, 2022 • 52:25

EP #263 - Ash Maurya: The Lean Startup Methodology

EP #263 - Ash Maurya: The Lean Startup Methodology

Timestamps: 4:20 - Reading business books in engineering school 11:50 - The lean startup methodology 19:30 - The lean canvas 39:52 - The entrepreneurial renaissance 51:54 - The lean workshop About Ash Maurya: Ash Maurya is the founder and CEO at Leanstack, a leading provider of Lean Startup and Lean Business Modeling tools, content, and coaching resources. He is also the author of the book Running Lean. Prior to Leanstack, he worked at companies like telecom technologies and Sonus Networks and

Sep 21, 2022 • 1:05:44

EP #262 - Chris Bach: The Fastest Way To Build Sites, Stores & Apps

EP #262 - Chris Bach: The Fastest Way To Build Sites, Stores & Apps

Timestamps: 11:20 - Giving up your salary for a startup idea 12:58 - Moving to California 23:25 - Marketing a solution with broad applications 32:19 - Tweaking your pricing 40:03 - Convincing investors to invest About Chris Bach: Chris Bach is the CSO/CCO at Netlify, a platform for building highly-performant and dynamic websites, e-commerce stores and apps. He studied film and media science at the University of Copenhagen but then pivoted to the business world, and created Netlify in 2015 toget

Sep 14, 2022 • 57:39

EP #261 - Samuel Mueller: Scandit Revisited

EP #261 - Samuel Mueller: Scandit Revisited

This episode was produced in cooperation with the ETH Entrepreneur Club. Timestamps: 3:20 - IoT 10 years ago 20:02 - Subscription based models and high margins 25:09 - Going international from day one 30:02 - Picking Ariel Lüdi as an investor 45:00 - Scaling your team About Samuel Mueller: Samuel Mueller is the co-founder and CEO at Scandit, the leading technology platform for mobile computer vision and augmented reality (AR) solutions for enterprises. He holds a PhD in Computer Science and Te

Sep 7, 2022 • 1:02:27

EP #260 - Elian Kool: The Holacratic Consultancy

EP #260 - Elian Kool: The Holacratic Consultancy

Timestamps: 9:25 - Netcentric’s focus 23:17 - Growing your headcount 26:45 - Choosing holacracy 38:36 - Getting acquired 49:08 - Building a wine marketplace About Elian Kool: Elian Kool is the co-founder and former CEO at Netcentric, a Zurich based company that develops CX marketing solutions. He previously worked at companies like Acommit AG, Namics and Logica Deutschland. Elian co-founded Netcentric in 2012, right around the time that Adobe Experience Cloud (the focus of their business) was f

Aug 31, 2022 • 58:49

EP #259 - Dennis Just & Mathis Büchi: Hypergrowth & Beyond

EP #259 - Dennis Just & Mathis Büchi: Hypergrowth & Beyond

Timestamps: 7:21 - The right time for scaling up 26:36 - Why hire in Belgrade 32:02 - Scaling while bootstrapped 42:42 - Growth engines 53:15 - Growing towards an exit About Dennis Just and Mathis Büchi: Dennis Just is the current CEO at Smallpdf, a company offering a suite of clever document management tools for everyone. He holds a BSc in Economics and Engineering from Technische Universität Berlin and previously founded companies like Numbrs and Knip. Mathis Büchi is co-founder and chairman

Aug 24, 2022 • 1:10:06

EP #258 - Kevin Smith: An App To Unlock The Knowledge In Podcasts

EP #258 - Kevin Smith: An App To Unlock The Knowledge In Podcasts

Timestamps: 1:44 - Falling in love with machine learning 15:03 - Developing a prototype at HackZurich 23:05 - Podcasts as the world’s largest knowledge base 40:43 - Doing B2C in Switzerland 49:15 - Benefiting from the Swiss startup mafia About Kevin Smith: Kevin Smith is the co-founder and CEO at Snipd, an AI-powered podcast player built to unlock the knowledge in the podcasts you listen to. Originally from England and Germany, Kevin came to Zurich to get his MA from ETH in Quantitative Finance

Aug 17, 2022 • 1:04:11

EP #257 - Roy Raanani: Settling In Switzerland And Building A Business

EP #257 - Roy Raanani: Settling In Switzerland And Building A Business

Timestamps: 2:01 - How consulting makes you a better entrepreneur 7:27 - Spending your sabbatical in Rheinfeld 31:18 - Staying healthy as a founder 42:18 - Complex and non-complex system 47:35 - Getting acquired by Zoom Info About Roy Raanani: Roy Raanani is the co-founder, former CEO and current president of Chorus.ai, a B2B SaaS platform that helps sales teams improve the quality of their conversations and sales processes by analyzing how top performers engage with customers in calls and vide

Aug 10, 2022 • 1:11:20

EP #256 - Kai Eberhardt: The App To Change Your Diet For Good

EP #256 - Kai Eberhardt: The App To Change Your Diet For Good

Timestamps: 3:52 - Breaking up and getting back together with McKinsey 9:36 - Gathering the Oviva team 12:01 - Certified dieticians vs nutritionists 16:52 - Working with health insurers 34:59 - Keeping in touch with your investors About Kai Eberhardt: Kai Eberhardt is the co-founder and CEO at Oviva, an app which provides personalized advice and individual support for targeted dietary changes. He holds a PhD in Physical Chemistry from ETH and previously worked for McKinsey and Groupon. Kai left

Aug 3, 2022 • 48:23

EP #255 - Christof Tremp: Rebellious Spirits

EP #255 - Christof Tremp: Rebellious Spirits

Timestamps: 12:50 - Alcohol-free drinks for the new decade 18:17 - Choosing Switzerland as a production site 21:40 - Who’s buying alcohol-free drinks? 22:53 - Reaching a crowdfunding goal in 11 hours 28:37 - Selling B2C and B2B About Christof Tremp: Christof Tremp is the co-founder and CEO at Rebels 0.0%, a startup producing alcohol-free spirits. He holds an MA in Business Administration from HSG and has previously worked at Kraft Foods Group, Procter & Gamble, Unilever and Lindt & Sprü

Jul 27, 2022 • 38:19

EP #254 - Patrik Deuss: The Bootstrapped Smart Lighting Solution

EP #254 - Patrik Deuss: The Bootstrapped Smart Lighting Solution

Timestamps: 5:02 - Picking the right co-founder 14:14 - Going B2B 18:07 - Getting better at sales 21:42 - Fundraising as a spin-off 31:59 - Getting inspiration as an entrepreneur About Patrik Deuss: Patrik Deuss is the co-founder and CEO at LEDCity, a cleantech startup specializing in smart lighting solutions. Patrik holds a BS in Energy and Environmental Engineering from ZHAW and previously worked at m-way agm and blitzzcar GmbH. With LEDCity’s solution, AI-trained algorithms control the light

Jul 20, 2022 • 36:26

EP #253 - Alexander Schueller & Tobias Reichmuth: The Future Of Human Aging

EP #253 - Alexander Schueller & Tobias Reichmuth: The Future Of Human Aging

Timestamps: 5:00 - The ideal human future 7:27 - Reversing aging vs curing common diseases 10:22 - Longevity tips 13:11 - Societal costs to longevity 20:22 - Recs for 20 year olds About Alexander Schueller & Tobias Reichmuth: Alexander Schueller is the founder and CEO at cellvie, a seed-stage venture developing mitochondria-based therapies. Tobias Reichmuth is a founding partner at maximoon, a venture studio company builder which has already built 2 longevity startups, with 3 more to follow thi

Jul 13, 2022 • 34:58

EP #252 - Severin Hacker: From Fledgling Startup To NASDAQ IPO

EP #252 - Severin Hacker: From Fledgling Startup To NASDAQ IPO

Timestamps: 1:08 - From ETH to Carnegie Mellon 5:28 - Not going to Silicon Valley 8:03 - Freemium and philanthropy 10:22 - A/B testing at Duolingo 18:23 - The Duolingo IPO About Severin Hacker: Severin Hacker is the co-founder and CTO of Duolingo, the world’s most popular language learning app. He holds a PhD in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon University and previously worked as a research intern at Microsoft. It was during his time at Carnegie Mellon that he met his co-founder, Luis von

Jul 6, 2022 • 25:01

EP #251 - Mikhail Kokorich: Travel By Hyperplane

EP #251 - Mikhail Kokorich: Travel By Hyperplane

Timestamps: 6:26 - MBAs aren’t just for managers 12:22 - Covering any distance in less than 2h 15:43 - When hydrogen will become cheaper 24:34 - Building a hyperplane prototype in 4 months 29:33 - Dealing with aviation regulation About Mikhail Kokorich: Mikhail Kokorich is the founder and CEO of Destinus, an aerospace company building hyperplanes to provide the fastest transportation on earth. He studied business administration back in Russia and also went on to complete executive programs at S

Jun 29, 2022 • 48:04

EP #250 - Bassil Eid: Better, Cheaper Payroll For Swiss Companies

EP #250 - Bassil Eid: Better, Cheaper Payroll For Swiss Companies

Timestamps: 1:07 - From Canada to Denmark 7:32 - Convincing your parents about entrepreneurship 16:20 - The 3 ways to do payroll in Switzerland 21:57 - Convincing Swiss SMEs 30:32 - Preparing to acquire a company About Bassil Eid: Bassil Eid is a co-founder of Earny, a startup providing simple automated payroll in 10 mins or less for startups & SMEs. Bassil’s family moved from Lebanon to Canada when he was young, and it was in Canada that he studied Business Administration and Economics and  be

Jun 22, 2022 • 47:31

EP #249 - Christof Roduner: Swiss Unicorn On The Rise

EP #249 - Christof Roduner: Swiss Unicorn On The Rise

Timestamps: 3:35 - Not having a clear goal for your PhD 7:54 - Starting your own company 22:04 - From old acquaintance to co-founder 27:32 - Selling to retail and logistics 43:53 - Life after unicorn status About Christof Roduner: Christof Roduner is the co-founder and CIO at Scandit, the leading technology platform for mobile computer vision and augmented reality (AR) solutions for enterprises. He holds a MSc in Business Administration and Computer Science from the University of Zurich. It was

Jun 15, 2022 • 49:48

EP #248 - Alexandre Laybros: Energy Transition Champions

EP #248 - Alexandre Laybros: Energy Transition Champions

Timestamps: 3:33 - Range anxiety with electric vehicles 10:40 - Incubating in both Switzerland and France 14:41 - Why award recognition is key 20:42 - Identifying the right launch customers 23:26 - Organizing a demo day About Alexandre Laybros: Alexandre Laybros is the co-founder and deputy CEO and CMO at WattAnyWhere, a startup offering off-grid renewable electricity for BEV fast-charging. He holds a masters in Electrical Engineering from ENSEA and previously worked for companies like Thales a

Jun 12, 2022 • 30:08

EP #247 - Philippe Bubb & Martin Altorfer: Building Session.VC

EP #247 - Philippe Bubb & Martin Altorfer: Building Session.VC

Timestamps: 1:39 - The freedom of entrepreneurship 11:25 - Getting access to deals in the 00s 17:15 - Borrowing money to invest in startups 34:12 - Team and timing 43:43 - The Swiss tendency to miss out About Philippe Bubb & Martin Altorfer: Philippe Bubb and Martin Altorfer are the co-founders of session.vc, a fund investing in early stage companies in the software and consumer space. Philippe has an MBA in Business Administration and Finance from HSG and previously worked as a financial a

Jun 8, 2022 • 1:11:16

EP #246 - Deborah Learoyd: Roof Tiles With Greater ROI

EP #246 - Deborah Learoyd: Roof Tiles With Greater ROI

Timestamps: 4:17 - The prettiest solar panels you’ll ever see 7:09 - A team of two engineers 11:27 - Not competing with solar panels 13:04 - Tiles with greater ROI 15:53 - Scaling up to a sustainable size About Deborah Learoyd: Deborah Learoyd is the co-founder and managing director of Freesuns, a company designing beautifully integrated solar roof tiles for residential, commercial and heritage buildings. She worked at the technology company Honeywell for 20 years before going all-in on her sta

Jun 5, 2022 • 23:08

EP #245 - Séverine Gisin: Preventative Neurotech

EP #245 - Séverine Gisin: Preventative Neurotech

Timestamps: 1:37 - Studying STEM 11:29 - Patent and a seed round 24:06 - Educating the market and closing the deal 27:53 - Landing a partnership with SONY 31:18 - Filing patents is depressing About Séverine Gisin: Séverine Gisin is the co-founder and CCO at IDUN Technologies, a neurotech startup with a vision of creating a more connected and empathetic world using brain-sensing headphones. She has a background in Health Science and Technologies from ETH. Together with her co-founder Simon Bachm

Jun 1, 2022 • 54:00

EP #244 - Andreas Lenzhofer: The World’s Most Comfortable Pajamas

EP #244 - Andreas Lenzhofer: The World’s Most Comfortable Pajamas

Timestamps: 1:31 - The value of an MBA 9:30 - How to validate a business idea 15:27 - Working with your romantic partner 28:33 - How to acquire customers 38:21 - Picking stores to work with About Andreas Lenzhofer: Andreas Lenzhofer is a co-founder & chairman at Dagsmejan, a company that develops innovative clothing for better sleep. After a UK MBA and an impressive corporate career, Andreas and his romantic partner decided to become entrepreneurs, and identified self-care as one of the las

May 25, 2022 • 48:49

EP #243 - Mitchell Duffy: Novel Materials, Novel Functionalities

EP #243 - Mitchell Duffy: Novel Materials, Novel Functionalities

Timestamps: 3:05 - Running a coffee shop from a dorm room 9:50 - Why biology is the most advanced tech on Earth 13:32 - How to program proteins 15:05 - Vegan, sustainable collagen 23:30 - Surviving climate change About Mitchell Duffy: Mitchell Duffy is the CEO and co-founder at Cambrium, a next-generation materials company utilizing the molecular programmability of proteins to re-imagine the products you use everyday. Originally hailing from the US, he majored in Biology and Computer Science at

May 22, 2022 • 29:13

EP #242 - Loïc Schülé: 21st Century Dentistry

EP #242 - Loïc Schülé: 21st Century Dentistry

Timestamps: 1:40 - Consulting prepared Loïc for entrepreneurship 7:45 - Building an agency 12:58 - Solving someone else’s problem 24:24 - Focus vs offering a multifaceted product 33:39 - Being bootstrapped for several years About Loïc Schülé: Loïc Schülé is the co-founder and CEO at denteo, a software provider for dentist offices. He studied computer science at EPFL and worked in consulting before pivoting his career and landing at Impact Hub in 2015. He co-founded denteo in 2017 with 3 other c

May 18, 2022 • 48:03

EP #241 - Gerhard Andrey: A Swiss Entrepreneur And Politician

EP #241 - Gerhard Andrey: A Swiss Entrepreneur And Politician

Timestamps: 3:21 - Balancing entrepreneurship and politics 9:23 - How politics can help startups 16:58 - Measuring economic impact 22:28 - Making Switzerland more startup 26:59 - Mainstreaming impact accounting About Gerhard Andrey: Gerhard Andrey is a Grüne Schweiz member and national councillor on the Swiss Parliament. He also co-founded the Swiss digital agency Liip, is a board member at Alternative Bank Schweiz, and has a background in engineering. Gerhard felt drawn to politics because he

May 15, 2022 • 33:32

EP #240 - Robert Lauko: Interest-Free Borrowing On The Blockchain

EP #240 - Robert Lauko: Interest-Free Borrowing On The Blockchain

Timestamps: 1:41 - Switching from engineering to law 8:52 - Visiting the US blockchain scene 13:01 - Leaving DFINITY 22:03 - Explaining Liquity to a 5yo child 44:17 - Whether VCs own the blockchain About Robert Lauko: Robert Lauko is the co-founder and CEO at Liquity, a decentralized protocol that enables interest-free borrowing on the blockchain. He studied Microengineering at EPFL but then switched to Law at UZH. Robert worked for several years as a lawyer before pivoting to blockchain

May 11, 2022 • 50:53

EP# 239 - Roland Siegwart: A Chat With An ETH Professor

EP# 239 - Roland Siegwart: A Chat With An ETH Professor

Timestamps: 3:43 - What makes ETH special 8:13 - Commercializing research at ETH 13:03 - Switzerland sells itself short 15:31 - Making Switzerland more startup 19:17 - Where our ecosystem is going About Roland Siegwart Roland Siegwart is a professor of Autonomous Systems at ETH Zurich and board member for Sevensense Robotics, NZZ, Komax and Evatec. He has been a visiting scientist at both EPFL and Stanford, and holds a PhD in Mechatronics from ETH Zurich. Roland’s original ambition was to becom

May 8, 2022 • 25:45

EP #238 - Oliver Ganz: Market Research Masters

EP #238 - Oliver Ganz: Market Research Masters

Timestamps: 6:00 - What makes a co-founder “the one” 9:47 - Solving your own problem 15:51 - Pricing strategy 27:29 - Technical challenges 34:41 - Getting acquired by Norstat group About Oliver Ganz: Oliver Ganz is the co-founder and CTO at Testing Time, a UX test and market research recruiter founded in 2015. Oliver has a Masters in Computer Science and previously worked at Amazee Labs and Doodle, at the latter of which he met Reto Lämmler. Testing Time was acquired by the Norstat Group in 202

May 4, 2022 • 55:39

EP#237 - Lars Mangelsdorf: Yokoy’s Climb To Success

EP#237 - Lars Mangelsdorf: Yokoy’s Climb To Success

Timestamps: 1:01 - Starting Yokoy 5:08 - Scaling from 40 to 200 employees 12:14 - Monthly company updates 16:42 - Asking for help 19:42 - Making Switzerland more startup About Lars Mangelsdorf: Lars Mangelsdorf is co-founder and CCO at Yokoy, the all-in-one spending management solution automating the expenses, invoice & credit card processes of medium and large firms. He previously worked as a Senior Account Executive at Beekeeper. After successfully raising over $100M in less than a year,

May 1, 2022 • 28:41

EP #236 - Peter Schnürer: Connecting Companies With Shareholders

EP #236 - Peter Schnürer: Connecting Companies With Shareholders

Timestamps: 1:41 - The internet in the 90s 9:53 - Companies should digitize their shares 19:44 - Why you should use the blockchain 23:24 - Educating the market on the blockchain 35:25 - Deploying 1 feature per week About Peter Schnürer: Peter Schnürer is the CEO at daura, a digital equity platform which helps companies keep a digital share registry. Peter has a background in Business Administration and has worked for several banks and IT companies. 60% of Swiss companies aren’t sure their share

Apr 27, 2022 • 42:57

EP #235 - Olivier Laplace: From Founder To Venture Capitalist

EP #235 - Olivier Laplace: From Founder To Venture Capitalist

Timestamps: 1:22 - Wanting to be a VC 5:08 - Investing in B2B SaaS 8:32 - Getting more Swiss VC money 15:42 - Making Switzerland more startup-friendly 20:28 - Where the Swiss ecosystem is going About Olivier Laplace: Olivier Laplace has been a partner at the VC fund VI Partners since early 2022. He previously worked as head of corporate VC at Swiss Post and founded a company called Balumpa, which provided users a geo-localized social network. Throughout the years, his investor portfolio has inc

Apr 24, 2022 • 27:54

EP #234 - Patrizia Laeri: Fixing The Financial Gender Gap

EP #234 - Patrizia Laeri: Fixing The Financial Gender Gap

Timestamps: 1:38 - Journalism during the dot com crisis 20:40 - Fostering female financial independence 24:13 - Sexist backlash 37:28 - Building media leverage 42:30 - Raising a family on a startup salary About Patrizia Laeri: Patrizia Laeri is a business journalist and the co-founder and CEO of elleXX, an independent money media platform for women. She studied business administration and then went on to start her journalism career in 2003 at SRF. During her time in Swiss television she reporte

Apr 20, 2022 • 51:19

EP #233 - Laura Matter: Swiss Online Dating

EP #233 - Laura Matter: Swiss Online Dating

Timestamps: 0:57 - Why start a dating platform in Switzerland 5:45 - Rising up to the fundraising challenge 12:23 - Getting money from FFFs 15:12 - Transparency in the Swiss ecosystem 19:32 - Upcoming startup trends About Laura Matter and noii: Laura Matter is the co-founder and CEO of noii, a video chat-based dating app. noii combines sophisticated algorithms with psychological know-how to find suitable partners and then allows you to join them on a video chat speed dating round. You are then

Apr 17, 2022 • 27:02

EP #232 - Heiner Grüter: M&A And Exit Readiness

EP #232 - Heiner Grüter: M&A And Exit Readiness

Timestamps: 1:24 - The UNIC mafia 3:08 - Right and wrong reasons to sell your company 10:16 - M&A KPI threshold 26:15 - Sending out one-pagers 48:42 - What to share with a potential buyer About Heiner Grüter: Heiner Grüter is the CEO at Meridium Partners, a strategy and M&A consultancy company. He was previously the CEO at UNIC, one of Switzerland’s first digital agencies and one of the Swiss Startup Mafia’s “mother” companies, having given rise to major players like Rentouch, Students.

Apr 13, 2022 • 1:01:10

EP #231 - Sophie Lamparter: Picking The Brain Of A VC

EP #231 - Sophie Lamparter: Picking The Brain Of A VC

Timestamps: 1:50 - Bridging the gap between different ecosystems 11:40 - How the pandemic changed the VC world 24:35 - Building an eye-catching pitch deck 31:06 - Dealing with investors who don’t follow through 40:40 - Hitting inflection points About Sophie Lamparter: As founder and managing partner at DART labs, Sophie is a Silicon Valley VC with Swiss roots. She and her team focus on finding the best European technology startups and turning them into global players. Prior to becoming a ventur

Apr 6, 2022 • 56:12

EP #230 - Zeki Bulgurcu: Meme-König, Influencer, Unternehmer

EP #230 - Zeki Bulgurcu: Meme-König, Influencer, Unternehmer

Timestamps: 4:54 - Das erste Meme in einer schlaflosen Nacht 12:23 - Erster Umsatz als Personal Brand 19:44 - Umgang mit Bekanntheit 30:11 - Typischer Tagesablauf von Zeki 40:07 - Was motiviert dich am morgen aufzustehen? Bio: Zeki Bulgurcu ist der Gründer von Swissmeme und Zekisworld. Aufgewachsen in Basel, startet Zeki seine berufliche Laufbahn mit einer Berufslehre als Detailhandelsfachmann. Seine ersten Memes veröffentlicht er 2013 - schnell entwickelt sich sein Instagram Kanal "Swissmeme"

Apr 3, 2022 • 44:54

EP#229 - Olga Dubey: Pioneers In Natural Plant Protection

EP#229 - Olga Dubey: Pioneers In Natural Plant Protection

Timestamps: 2:55 - Choosing between research and entrepreneurship 7:08 - Meeting a co-founder and future husband 13:09 - Global supply chain 14:34 - The challenge of certification 20:06 - Running a startup with your husband About Olga Dubey: Olga Dubey is the co-founder and CEO of AgroSustain, a one-stop-shop solution for biological plant protection that she created following her PhD in Plant Pathology, during which she met her husband and future AgroSustain co-founder. AgroSustain produces nat

Mar 30, 2022 • 27:30

EP#228 - Estella Benz: Bringing The Beauty Industry Up To Speed

EP#228 - Estella Benz: Bringing The Beauty Industry Up To Speed

Timestamps: 1:42 - Studying what you truly love 6:13 - From solo founder to co-founder 15:13 - Skin Match use cases 20:14 - The product database 25:54 - Business model sustainability About Estella Benz: Estella Benz is the co-founder and CEO at Skin Match, a retail technology which uses AI to take the beauty industry to the next level. In her university studies she combined marketing with the beauty industry, after failing to get into her desired fashion design school. Her interest in the beaut

Mar 23, 2022 • 37:20

EP #227 - Simone Riedel Riley: The Swiss Technology Fund

EP #227 - Simone Riedel Riley: The Swiss Technology Fund

Timestamps: 1:33 - Studying abroad 11:28 - Why the Swiss Tech Fund doesn’t give out loans themselves 17:55 - The cost structure 28:18 - What the fund offers besides loan guarantees 36:53 - What happens after defaulting on your loan About Simone Riedel: Simone Riedel Riley is the general manager at the Swiss Technology Fund, which grants loan guarantees to Swiss cleantech startups. She got her MBA from UZH and also studied at Harvard and Indiana University. She then came back to Switzerland to w

Mar 16, 2022 • 47:16

EP #226 - Ivan Cossu: The World of Hybrid Work

EP #226 - Ivan Cossu: The World of Hybrid Work

Timestamps: 4:33 - Meeting your co-founders at a corporate job 14:31 - Taking advantage of inbound leads 16:31 - The Covid effect 22:54 - Standing out in the job market 30:51 - Preparing early for a round About Ivan Cossu: Ivan Cossu is the co-founder and CEO at Deskbird, a people-centric solution for a hybrid workspace. He has a background in economics and worked for a number of banks and consulting companies before venturing out onto entrepreneurship. Deskbird came about during the start of t

Mar 9, 2022 • 34:52

EP #225 - Soumya Dash: A Good Night’s Sleepiz

EP #225 - Soumya Dash: A Good Night’s Sleepiz

Timestamps: 1:33 - From India to Germany and Switzerland 10:57 - Why build a startup 22:00 - Solving sleep disorders 36:36 - Marketing to B2B and B2C simultaneously 40:33 - Vertical and horizontal expansion About Soumya Dash: Soumya Dash is the co-founder and CEO of Sleepiz, a startup which produces remote sleep monitoring devices. Originally from India, he grew up constantly relocating to different regions of this country due to his father’s job, and this allowed him to develop an incredible d

Mar 2, 2022 • 50:09

EP #224 - Hermann Arnold: How Btov Became Umantis

EP #224 - Hermann Arnold: How Btov Became Umantis

Click here to answer the 2022 Swisspreneur Survey. Timestamps: 1:45 - Co-founding START Global 09:17 - Turning btov into umantis 19:13 - Starting a company during the dot com bubble 23:14 - Switzerland is the most open of the DACH countries 41:02 - When a fuck-up turns out okay About Hermann Arnold: Herman Arnold is the co-founder and ex-CEO of the talent management software company umantis. He was also a co-founder of btov and START global. START global, the (nowadays) international organizat

Feb 23, 2022 • 1:05:31

EP #223 - Carlo Badini: From Videographer To Entrepreneur

EP #223 - Carlo Badini: From Videographer To Entrepreneur

Click here to answer the 2022 Swisspreneur Survey: https://swisspreneur.typeform.com/to/LDhwEC5x Timestamps: 4:45 - Film directors and entrepreneurs 9:03 - Studying and bootstrapping a company 20:45 - Pabio, or renting your furniture 32:10 - Giving up recurring revenue opportunities 51:17 - Y Combinator About Carlo Badini: Carlo Badini is a co-founder and CEO at Pabio, the startup which allows you to decorate your apartment with high-quality furniture through a monthly subscription. He studied

Feb 16, 2022 • 1:03:59

EP #222 - Lena Jüngst & Simon Nuesch: Hacking Your Sweet Tooth With Air Up

EP #222 - Lena Jüngst & Simon Nuesch: Hacking Your Sweet Tooth With Air Up

Timestamps: 1:17 - From creative work to the business world 11:37 - The graveyard of brand names 20:21 - Responsible consumption and emotional attractiveness 30:32 - Storytelling and investors 52:17 - Focused internationalization About Lena Jüngst & Simon Nuesch: Lena Jüngst and Simon Nuesch are the co-founders of Air Up, a revolutionary scent-based drinking system. Lena has a background in product design and Simon studied technology, management and business administration. They both come from

Feb 9, 2022 • 1:06:05

EP #221 - Pascal Koenig: Hardship Can Be Rewarding

EP #221 - Pascal Koenig: Hardship Can Be Rewarding

Timestamps: 3:09 - Finding co-founders 11:24 - Giving up the McKinsey partner salary 15:10 - Arrogance and stress 21:06 - Setting your own agenda 23:35 - Why entrepreneurship pays off About Pascal Koenig: Pascal Koenig is the co-founder, former CEO and current board member at AVA women, a startup manufacturing wearable fertility trackers for women. He studied business in St Gallen and New York and worked at McKinsey for a few years before being invited by one of his university professors to joi

Feb 2, 2022 • 28:40

EP #220 - Boris Manhart: The Challenges Of An External CEO

EP #220 - Boris Manhart: The Challenges Of An External CEO

Timestamps: 1:07 - Is university overrated? 8:55 - Why be an external CEO? 21:16 - Conflict with the founding team 23:10 - Co-CEOs and holacracy 45:41 - There is always a better you About Boris Manhart: Boris Manhart is a serial entrepreneur and the founder of Growth Unltd, a company that helps scale your business. He was previously involved with CodeCheck and Numbrs, and studied for a couple of years at the Universität Zürich. Boris is actually a university dropout: he quit after 2 years of st

Jan 26, 2022 • 1:02:42

EP #219 - Lorena Tschirky & Alice Dal Fuoco: At The Heart Of Innovation

EP #219 - Lorena Tschirky & Alice Dal Fuoco: At The Heart Of Innovation

Timestamps: 5:54 - Being a trend scout in Silicon Valley 11:27 - The Swiss pension system concern 21:33 - What makes or breaks a pilot project 31:41 - The success book and the failure book 40:05 - Next trends coming up About Lorena & Alice: Alice dal Fuoco is the head of innovation at VNTR, an innovation and venturing project by Postfinance. Lorena Tschirky is the lead of one of VNTR's successful ventures, miira. Before joining VNTR, Alice's work at Postfinance consisted of trend scouting t

Jan 19, 2022 • 45:09

EP #218 - Markus Meyer: The Swiss Founder Must Go Abroad

EP #218 - Markus Meyer: The Swiss Founder Must Go Abroad

Timestamps: 2:14 - When to go international 9:00 - Franchising 13:02 - Associations that help you go abroad 17:26 - Receiving payments in other countries 20:29 - Trade finance About Markus Meyer: Markus Meyer is responsible at UBS Switzerland for payments, trade finance and leasing business. He has been working for UBS since 1996, and holds a PhD in Information & Technology Management and Banking from HSG. According to Markus, there is no universal right timing for going international, but

Jan 16, 2022 • 27:13

EP #217 - Martin Eichenhofer: Carbon Champions

EP #217 - Martin Eichenhofer: Carbon Champions

Timestamps: 1:33 - Spending many years at university 7:15 - Meeting your co-founder at university 9:52 - A very technical founder team 31:40 - Finding promising partners 41:05 - Communicating your vision About Martin Eichenhofer: Martin Eichenhofer is the co-founder and CEO at 9T Labs, a startup making 3D printed carbon composites for high volume production. He has an impressive academic background, with one BA, one MA, one MBA and one PhD under his belt. His university path is actually deeply

Jan 12, 2022 • 57:43

EP #216 - Martin Eng & Patrick Forte: A Backstage View Of The ON Story

EP #216 - Martin Eng & Patrick Forte: A Backstage View Of The ON Story

Timestamps: 1:31 - Meeting the ON co-founders for the first time 7:30 - Loans are preferable to equity rounds 26:05 - An investor's sleepless nights 34:18 - Swiss IPOs in the future 39:49 - Get help with industry leaders About Martin Eng & Patrick Forte Martin Eng is a senior client advisor at UBS, and Patrick Forte works there as the head of corporate finance. Martin has been a part of the UBS team for a total of 15 years, Patrick for 18. The ON team won the SEF (Swiss Economic Forum) awar

Jan 9, 2022 • 44:19

EP #215 - Phil Libin: From Evernote To All Turtles

EP #215 - Phil Libin: From Evernote To All Turtles

Timestamps: 1:04 - Dropping out of college 6:53 - Selling a company for $26M at 30 13:00 - Evernote in 2007 38:18 - The out-of-office world 40:40 - Choosing where to live About Phil Libin: Phil Libin is the co-founder and former CEO at Evernote, the world’s best known note-taking app. Prior to Evernote, he built Engine5 and CoreStreet. He holds a BA in Computer Science from Boston University, which he began in 1989 and only finished in 2019. He originally dropped out shortly before graduating.

Jan 5, 2022 • 53:25

EP #214 - Thomas Hofer & Vito Gigante: How To Sell Or Buy A Company

EP #214 - Thomas Hofer & Vito Gigante: How To Sell Or Buy A Company

Timestamps: 1:32 - How not to sell your company 6:46 - KPIs to reach before selling 20:40 - Finding the right price 26:32 - Whoever wants to deal less wins 32:04 - Your role after the sale About Thomas Hofer and Vito Gigante Thomas Hofer is the head of the transaction advisory at UBS' corporate finance department, and has been working for UBS for over 20 years. Vito Gigante has been the head of SME M&As at UBS ever since 2016. Here are a few common mistakes when it comes to selling/buying c

Jan 2, 2022 • 38:02

EP#213 - Bettina Hein: A Lion Of Entrepreneurship

EP#213 - Bettina Hein: A Lion Of Entrepreneurship

Timestamps: 1:01 - A family full of role models 8:23 - The doubts of an entrepreneur 18:56 - Moving back to the US 29:41 - A partnership in equality 40:41 - Working with your spouse About Bettina Hein: Bettina Hein is the co-founder and CEO at juli Health, an app for managing chronic health conditions, and an investor at the Swiss Shark Tank Höhle der Löwen. She also co-founded START Global when studying at HSG, as well as Svox and Pixability. She’s married to Andreas Glödi, who is an investor

Dec 29, 2021 • 54:52

EP #212 - Fabian Humbel: Liquidation, Demystified

EP #212 - Fabian Humbel: Liquidation, Demystified

Timestamps: 2:10 - What liquidation is 6:30 - When liquidation is enforced by a creditor 19:50 - Liquidation agreement 23:31 - The emotional toll 28:20- If liquidation happens to a supplier/partner About Fabian Humbel: Fabian is an executive director and the head of special segments, credit and recovery solutions at UBS, of which he has been an employee since 2006. He has an MBA from the Chicago Booth School of Business and a BASc in Business Administration from HSG. 3 misconceptions about liqu

Dec 26, 2021 • 36:54

EP #211 - Roy Bernheim: The Community-Led Clothing Brand

EP #211 - Roy Bernheim: The Community-Led Clothing Brand

Timestamps: 5:43 - Traveling for 4 months to think 9:34 - Building a highly-scalable business 21:20 - Sustainability and pricing 35:37 - A new way of experiencing online shopping 42:56 - Selling tokenized shares About Roy Bernheim Roy Bernheim is the co-founder of the men's underwear brand T-Bô, the first clothing brand to be community driven. His background is in European Social and Political studies, and after university he went on to work in private equity and brand management. Roy and his c

Dec 22, 2021 • 1:01:54

EP #210 - Jürg Tauss: Nailing Company Valuation

EP #210 - Jürg Tauss: Nailing Company Valuation

Timestamps: 0:52 - How NOT to do valuation 3:56 - Why do a company valuation 27:26 - Discounted cash flow 34:30 - How to influence your company value 37:49 - How often to do valuation About Jürg Tauss: Jürg Tauss is an executive director at UBS and the head of the M&A valuation desk at the corporate finance Switzerland team. The first thing Jürg thinks founders should know is that value is in itself subjective, and guided by the individual who looks at the asset. What the UBS M&A valuat

Dec 19, 2021 • 40:10

EP #209 - Pascal Meyer: Success Outside The Box

EP #209 - Pascal Meyer: Success Outside The Box

Timestamps: 6:02 - The psychology of flash sales 10:30 - People lie in surveys 11:51 - Selling teslas and Picassos 25:43 - Picking the right idea 43:33 - What the german part can learn from the Romandy About Pascal Meyer: Pascal Meyer is the solo founder and CEO of Qoqa, a flash sale e-commerce platform in Switzerland created in 2005. He previously worked for AMPCO Metal and Buchheim Communications. At the time of Qoqa's founding, e-commerce was quite new to Switzerland and brands were extremel

Dec 15, 2021 • 1:02:53

EP#208 - Mathis Büchi: Who's Afraid Of Filing Their Taxes?

EP#208 - Mathis Büchi: Who's Afraid Of Filing Their Taxes?

Timestamps: 5:43 - Organizing tours to North Korea 10:37 - Generating revenue from the start 19:38 - Being a chairman 24:13 - Taxfix makes taxes easy 41:33 - Time to leave About Mathis Büchi: Mathis Büchi is the co-founder and chairman at the pdf software company smallpdf and the digital tax accountant Taxfix. His background is in International Business and Global Management and he previously ran a tour company organizing trips to North Korea together with an NGO. His university studies, as wel

Dec 8, 2021 • 52:09

EP #207 - Julian Liniger: Bitcoin Made Simple

EP #207 - Julian Liniger: Bitcoin Made Simple

Timestamps: 1:25 - Business is psychology 9:19 - Validating the Relai idea 18:34 - Building an MVP during a Hackathon 33:47 - Simplifying bitcoin 54:06 - Showing investors traction About Julian Liniger Julian Liniger is the co-founder and CEO at Relai, the world's easiest Bitcoin investing app. His educational background is in Business Administration and Psychology an he has previously worked for Gsponer Consulting Group International and synfluence. He was originally introduced to bitcoin by a

Dec 5, 2021 • 1:01:48

EP #206 - Lorenzo Arizzoli-Bulato: Making Security Visible

EP #206 - Lorenzo Arizzoli-Bulato: Making Security Visible

Timestamps: 2:17 - The problem Linia solves 7:23 - Acquiring your first international customer 10:00 - The biggest competitor 15:18 - Product market fit by trial and error 19:53 - Being bootstrapped About Lorenzo Arizzoli-Bulato Lorenzo Arizzoli-Bulato is the co-founder and managing director at LINIA, a startup manufacturing drone software for power line inspection. His educational background is in Electrical Engineering and before starting LINIA in 2018 he worked for companies such as IASTE, A

Dec 1, 2021 • 26:51

EP #205 - Elisabete Ramalho: Making The Right Choices

EP #205 - Elisabete Ramalho: Making The Right Choices

Timestamps: 01:00 - What we mean when we say "strategy" 2:22 - Knowing you value proposition 11:13 - Strategy and KPIs 26:06 - Humility and seeking out help About Elisabete Ramalho Elisabete Ramalho is an international executive with 20 years of experience in digital transformation, technology, manufacturing and consumer goods, who is currently active as an industry lead at Google. For Elisabete, strategy is, naturally, about making choices. These choices should be informed by answers to the fo

Nov 28, 2021 • 31:53

EP #204 - Oliver Huber: Connecting Campers Across Switzerland

EP #204 - Oliver Huber: Connecting Campers Across Switzerland

Timestamps: 5:03 - Going all in from the beginning 14:00 - The problems of marketplace entrepreneurs 20:22 - The Covid effect 26:22 - Höhle der Löwen appearance 33:37 - Canton-specific regulation About Oliver Huber Oliver Huber is the founder and CEO of Nomady, a Swiss sustainable camping platform. Previously he worked for VP Bank and Schwyzer Kantonalbank, and has a background in Business Admin, Finance and Banking from Hochschule Luzern. Oliver has always been an outdoors and camping enthusia

Nov 24, 2021 • 48:14

EP #203 - Elisabete Ramalho: The Best Leader You Can Be

EP #203 - Elisabete Ramalho: The Best Leader You Can Be

Timestamps: 5:00 - The essence of entrepreneurship is timeless 10:08 - What makes a good leader? 18:55 - Biased language 25:46 - Being inclusive in a cost-efficient way 28:34 - Few women in top positions About Elisabete Ramalho: Elisabete Ramalho is an international executive with 20 years of experience in digital transformation, technology, manufacturing and consumer goods, who is currently active as an industry lead at Google. Elisabete's maternal grandparents were a big inspiration for her.

Nov 21, 2021 • 44:19

EP #202 - Philippe Willi: Don't Fool Yourself

EP #202 - Philippe Willi: Don't Fool Yourself

Timestamps: 4:14 - The business model of uploading old exams onto a server 17:19 - Winning clients with basic functionalities 28:51 - Acquiring competitors 32:47 - Using investor money for acquisitions 49:20 - Your main competitor is yourself About Philippe Willi Philippe Willi is a co-founder and CFO/COO at TrekkSoft, a booking solution for the tour and activities market. He studied business administration at HSG and soon after started his first business, the web agency zimtkorn, together with

Nov 17, 2021 • 1:03:38

EP #201 - Urs Aebischer: Turn Your Data Into Income

EP #201 - Urs Aebischer: Turn Your Data Into Income

Timestamps: 8:47 - Getting people to join a revolutionary platform 17:10 - Diseo's revenue sharing model 36:25 - Financing a social platform 38:00 - Regulation ruins scaling 42:05 - Doing a security token offering About Urs Aebischer: Urs Aebischer is the CEO at Diseo, a decentralized ecosystem of interconnected social platforms of brands and organizations where users exclusively control their data and earn from it. Urs is also the co-founder and CEO at Swiss Impulse Group, which focuses on dis

Nov 14, 2021 • 52:22

EP #200 - Alain Chuard: The Founder's Playbook

EP #200 - Alain Chuard: The Founder's Playbook

Timestamps: 1:51 - The ideal founder team 7:09 - When to quit your day job 19:51 - Life after MVP 41:40 - Hiring for skills and culture 49:40 - The exit to Google About Alain Chuard Alain Chuard is a Swiss serial entrepreneur best known as the founder and Chief product officer of Wildfire Interactive, the social media marketing technology company acquired by Google in July 2012. At Google, Alain was responsible for overseeing Wildfire’s strategy, integration into Google’s Display Ads Division,

Nov 10, 2021 • 1:11:56

EP #199 - Valentina Velandia: Supporting Migrant And Refugee Entrepreneurship

EP #199 - Valentina Velandia: Supporting Migrant And Refugee Entrepreneurship

Timestamps: 2:17 - A family of feminists 15:25 - Finding a job in Switzerland as a foreigner 27:05 - Most people in Velandia's team are women 30:27 - The refugee crisis 51:55 - The nationalist sentiment About Valentina Velandia Valentina is a co-founder and partnership curator at Capacity Zurich, an incubator for startups built by refugees or migrants. She is originally from Colombia, but moved to the US after finishing high school to study Communications at California State University. S

Nov 3, 2021 • 1:03:28

EP #198 - Oliver Baumann: Das Corporate Startup

EP #198 - Oliver Baumann: Das Corporate Startup

Timestamps 03:17 – Schritt in die Digitalisierung 10:54 – Der typische Atlanto-Kunde 15:22 – Atlanto’s Geschäftsmodell 18:11 – Kundengewinnung 23:28 – Lessons learned About Oliver Baumann: Oliver ist der CEO des Helvetia Spinoffs Atlanto AG, einer digitalen Administrationsplattform für KMU. Ursprünglich war Atlanto als Projekt innerhalb von Helvetia geplant und wurde schliesslich als Tochterunternehmen ausgegründet. Oliver, welcher in einer Unternehmerfamilie gross wurde, war immer interessiert

Oct 31, 2021 • 34:34

EP #197 - Daniel Borel: How Logitech Defied Expectations

EP #197 - Daniel Borel: How Logitech Defied Expectations

Timestamps: 1:03 - Going to Stanford after EPFL 7:41 - The hardware/software combination 17:50 - Meeting Bill Gates 21:13 - Saying no to Apple 55:18 - 6 grandchildren and 1 boat About Daniel Borel Daniel Borel is the co-founder and chairman emeritus of Logitech, the world's largest manufacturer of computer peripherals — with headquarters in Switzerland! After studying Physics at EPFL, Daniel went on to do his masters at Stanford. In the 70's, Stanford was on fire. The Apple computer had just be

Oct 27, 2021 • 1:00:28

EP #196 - Gianluca Lombardi & Andreas Stöckli: Versicherungen Für Startups

EP #196 - Gianluca Lombardi & Andreas Stöckli: Versicherungen Für Startups

Timestamps: 08:12 – 2. Säule: das Wichtigste zum BVG 10:10 – UVG Pflicht 13:32 – empfehlenswerte Versicherungen 21:48 – Cyberversicherung 32:18 – Beratung und Orientierung im Versicherungsdschungel Über Gianluca Lombardi & Andreas Stöckli: Andreas und Gianluca sind beide bei Helvetia tätig. Andreas ist Marktverantwortlicher für Unternehmen in der Generalagentur in Aarau. Dabei hat er mit Firmen-, wie auch mit Privatkunden engen Kontakt. Gianluca ist als Versicherungs- und Vorsorgeberater in

Oct 24, 2021 • 40:51

EP #195: Bettina Hirsig & Mannar Hielal: The Powercoder Who Escaped The Syrian War

EP #195: Bettina Hirsig & Mannar Hielal: The Powercoder Who Escaped The Syrian War

This episode was produced in co-operation with Startup Days. Visit their website here: https://www.startupdays.ch/ Timestamps: 4:12 - Having the courage to be yourself 17:35 - The beginning of Powercoders 27:59 - The power of telling stories 31:27 - Cultural shock in Switzerland 36:34 - A purpose-driven organization About Bettina & Mannar Bettina Hirsig is the co-founder and lead at Powercoders, a coding academy for refugees. She has a background in marketing and business administration. M

Oct 20, 2021 • 47:10

EP #194: Stefano Saeger: Der Helvetia Venture Fund

EP #194: Stefano Saeger: Der Helvetia Venture Fund

Timestamps: 11:40 – Stage & Ticket size: Gründe für die Frühinvestition 17:24 – Entscheidungsprozess für oder gegen Investitionen 26:18 – Die Gunst der Investoren gewinnen 31:31 – Red flags für die Investoren 36:09 – Unterstützung der Startups nach der Investition Über Stefano Saeger: Stefano Saeger ist Investment Manager beim Helvetia Venture Fund, ein Investment Fund von Helvetia Versicherungen, welcher in Startups investiert. Der Fund wird extern durch btovbetrieben. Nach seinem Betrieb

Oct 17, 2021 • 49:31

EP #193 - Tobias & Anne Richter: 1 Couple, 2 Entrepreneurs, 3 Kids

EP #193 - Tobias & Anne Richter: 1 Couple, 2 Entrepreneurs, 3 Kids

Timestamps: 1:55 - Being a medtech entrepreneur 9:57 - Managing 2 businesses and 3 kids 17:05 - Setting company and family goals 29:17 - Why not start a company together 36:19 - The right to disconnect About Anne & Tobias Richter Anne Richter is the founder and CEO of Knecker, a startup which produces vegan protein-rich snacks. She got her MA in Economical Engineering from the Technische Universität Berlin and afterwards worked for a series of energ

Oct 13, 2021 • 50:10

EP #192 - Sarah Gassmann & Adrian Tüscher: Mitarbeiterbeteiligungen Für Startups

EP #192 - Sarah Gassmann & Adrian Tüscher: Mitarbeiterbeteiligungen Für Startups

Timestamps: 1:17 - Warum Mitarbeiterbeteiligungen? 16:20 - Ab wann sollte man als Startup Mitarbeiterbeteiligungen prüfen? 30:55 - Vesting vs. Sperrfrist 43:34 - Steuerliche Sicht beim Verkauf von Aktien 1:00:14 - Umgang mit unvorhersehbaren Ereignissen Über Adrian Tüscher und Sarah Gassmann: Adrian Tüscher ist der Leiter des Bereichs HR Legal Services. Er berät nationale und internationale Kunden im Arbeitsrecht und ist spezialisiert auf Immigrations-, Sozialversicherungs- und Steuerfragen im

Oct 10, 2021 • 1:19:34

EP #191 - Anne Richter: The Climate-Friendly Snack

EP #191 - Anne Richter: The Climate-Friendly Snack

Timestamps: 4:27 - The early days of Knecker 13:00 - The Knecker recipe 20:09 - The Knecker buyer persona 22:24 - Packaging 31:58 - Going for bigger retailers About Anne Richter Anne Richter is the founder and CEO of Knecker, a startup which produces vegan protein-rich snacks. She got her MA in Economical Engineering from the Technische Universität Berlin and afterwards worked for a series of energy companies, before starting her own venture in 2020. Anne met her co-founder Susanne while volunt

Oct 6, 2021 • 37:03

EP #190 - Adrian Locher: Building A Startup Fund In Berlin

EP #190 - Adrian Locher: Building A Startup Fund In Berlin

Timestamps: 1:26 - The birth of a startup mafia 9:36 - The blue card in Germany 20:05 - Will there be a dot com bubble for AI? 33:48 - Financing an startup fund 46:49 - Launching a fund from a legal perspective About Adrian Locher Adrian Locher is the co-founder and former COO at the Swiss shopping platform DeinDeal, which was bought by Ringier in 2011. Adrian stayed at DeinDeal until 2015, after which he took a 1 year sabbatical to explore internet hotspots acorss the world. In 2016 he settled

Oct 3, 2021 • 58:09

EP #189 - Julian Teicke: The Insurance Startup That Raised $650m In 4 Years

EP #189 - Julian Teicke: The Insurance Startup That Raised $650m In 4 Years

Timestamps: 10:44 - Wefox's boring origin story 28:32 - Distinguishing between good and bad risks 36:20 - Not having a full calendar 37:22 - Working through stress with a coach 42:53 - Raising $650m in 4 years About Julian Teicke Julian Teicke is the founder and CEO at wefox, Europe's largest digital insurer. Having studied Business Administration at the University of St Gallen, Julian joined Groupon in 2009 as an intern, only to be handed much more responsibility than originally predicted, due

Sep 29, 2021 • 53:35

EP #188 - Laurent Decrue: Mastering Product Development

EP #188 - Laurent Decrue: Mastering Product Development

Timestamps: 0:55 - Do Europeans take way too long to launch? 7:00 - Always start from a problem 12:08 - What changes from MVP to the growth stage? 23:18 - The constant cycle of product development 30:59 - What's nearshoring? About Laurent Decrue Laurent Decrue is the co-founder of the moving company MOVU and the software company Holycode, and is currently also the CEO at Bexio. At Holycode, Laurent turns people's product dreams into reality, so there's no process he knows more intimately than p

Sep 26, 2021 • 40:57

EP #187 - Laurent Decrue: The Highs And Lows Of MOVU

EP #187 - Laurent Decrue: The Highs And Lows Of MOVU

Timestamps: 5:10 - The DeinDeal mafia 18:53 - The biggest mistakes at MOVU 23:40 - Going bankrupt 28:07 - Saying no to a lot of money 42:34 - Why stay at MOVU About Laurent Decrue Laurent Decrue is the co-founder of the moving company MOVU and the software company Holycode, and is currently also the CEO at Bexio. He grew up with a headstrong grandfather who pressured him to take a corporate job at UBS. Despite getting along well with the people there, his problem with authority made UBS too sti

Sep 22, 2021 • 1:10:26

EP #186 - Peter Kempin & Patrick Arnold: Taxes And The Young Startup Founder

EP #186 - Peter Kempin & Patrick Arnold: Taxes And The Young Startup Founder

Timestamps: 1:03 - Young founders and taxes 9:39 - Cantons and tax advantages 24:00 - The wealth tax burden 32:19 - Employee participation plans 40:33 - Tax pitfalls in structuring a sale About Peter Kempin and Patrick Arnold Peter Kempin is a Team Head of Executives & Entrepreneurs at UBS, where he has been working for the past 15 years. Patrick Arnold is a tax expert at UBS and certified financial planner. Decades in the industry have taught Peter and Patrick that young founders don't thi

Sep 19, 2021 • 47:17

EP #185 - Christian Reiter: Influencer Marketing In Switzerland

EP #185 - Christian Reiter: Influencer Marketing In Switzerland

Timestamps: 1:05 - Getting started in the agency business 7:07 - Thinking about monetization 11:09 - Evaluating an exit scenario 28:26 - Co-founder chemistry 45:06 - Accidentally becoming CEO About Christian Reiter Christian Reiter is a co-founder and board member at Kingfluencers, the leading Swiss social influence agency. After getting his bachelor's degree in Computer Science from ETH, he created a number of ventures, most notably Hitz Dev/Bitspin and Panamove, before building Kingfluencers.

Sep 15, 2021 • 1:03:55

EP #184 - Jon Brezinski: Disrupting The Vending Machine Market

EP #184 - Jon Brezinski: Disrupting The Vending Machine Market

Timestamps: 1:00 - From the US to Engelberg 14:30 - The vending machine market 20:56 - A disruptive business model 32:51 - Who stands in the way of disruption? 44:45 - Thinking about the exit About Jon Brezinski Jon Brezinski is the co-founder and CEO at Invenda, a company disrupting the machine industry with connected smart technology. Invenda offers smart vending machines, digital signage and smart fridges, as well as business intelligence, customization and integration services. Their partne

Sep 8, 2021 • 49:34

EP #183 - Gina Domanig: The O.G. Cleantech Fund

EP #183 - Gina Domanig: The O.G. Cleantech Fund

Timestamps: 1:02 - How studying abroad can change your life 5:56 - How is an investor trained? 19:47 - How an investor finds companies 25:55 - How to lose an investor's trust 48:20 - Attracting institutional investors About Gina Domanig Gina Domanig is a managing partner at Emerald Technology Ventures, a globally recognized investment and venture capital firm with a focus on cleantech. Before becoming an investor, Gina spent 10 years working at Sulzer as head of M&A, where she met her Swiss

Sep 1, 2021 • 1:17:55

EP #182 - Lukas Reinhardt: The UBS Growth Advisory

EP #182 - Lukas Reinhardt: The UBS Growth Advisory

Timestamps: 1:07 - The fundraising momentum in Switzerland 3:25 - Setbacks in Swiss investing today 11:53 - Going beyond the pitch 15:43 - How to approach investors 27:38 - An overview of Swiss brokers About Lukas Reinhardt Lukas Reinhardt is the head of UBS' Growth Advisory, the leading partner for fast-growing Swiss companies, such as On Running, VIU Eyewear and farmy.ch. He first joined UBS in 2006 as a Graduate Trainee and since then worked in different M&A and Corporate Finance positio

Aug 29, 2021 • 39:31

EP #181 - Roger Müller: Impacting The World Through Microfinance

EP #181 - Roger Müller: Impacting The World Through Microfinance

Timestamps: 1:05 - The Goldman Sachs epiphany 9:28 - Getting into impact investment 18:53 - Women in developing countries & traditional banks 32:44 - From a 20$ loan to an SME 51:23 - Investing in European startups About Roger Müller Roger Müller is a board member and managing partner at Enabling Qapital, an microfinance advisory company. His background is in traditional asset management. During the 2008 financial crisis, he was working at Julius Bär's Asset Management — at that time, a co

Aug 25, 2021 • 1:00:04

EP #180 - Igor Susmelj: From Being A Founder To Flipping Cars

EP #180 - Igor Susmelj: From Being A Founder To Flipping Cars

Timestamps: 1:50 - From farm boy to computer geek 10:13 - Being greedy for positive feedback 16:56 - Ending up in a broken team 23:18 - Perseverance 25:05 - Getting close to burnout About Igor Susmelj Igor Susmelj is the co-founder of Lightly, where he helps companies improve machine learning models by curating vision data. He has previously worked at SIX Group and Unicorn Labs, and holds a master's in Electrical Engineering from ETH. Igor grew up on a riding stable, where he spent much of his

Aug 18, 2021 • 28:08

EP #179 - Malik El Bay: The Do Tank

EP #179 - Malik El Bay: The Do Tank

Timestamps: 6:02 - Saying goodbye to Big Pharma 18:26 - Fulfilling your parents' expectations 47:53 - Stepping down from the CEO role 58:56 - Joining Dezentrum 1:05:18 - A do tank, not a think tank About Malik El Bay Malik El Bay is the co-founder of the household management app Flatastic and a partner at Dezentrum, a think-tank concocting positive scenarios of the future. His background is in interdisciplinary natural sciences and he has previously worked for Fit Analytics and Modum. He also c

Aug 11, 2021 • 1:34:28

EP #178 - Simon Youssef: The Future Of Banking

EP #178 - Simon Youssef: The Future Of Banking

Timestamps: 8:16 - Leaving your well-paying corporate job 13:29 - The business model behind a free product 22:08 - Is Revolut a competitor? 27:29 - Being on Höhle der Löwen 29:35 - Doing a 5M tokenized crowd investment About Simon Youssef Simon Youssef is the co-founder and CTO of neon, a transaction account for everyday finances. Before starting his own company, he was an associate at the management consulting company Strategy&. His educational background is in Physics, and he holds a PhD

Aug 4, 2021 • 38:47

EP #177 - Mathias Wegmüller: An Entrepreneur's Guide To Optimal Health

EP #177 - Mathias Wegmüller: An Entrepreneur's Guide To Optimal Health

Timestamps: 4:45 - The importance of a good social circle 10:51 - The right to disconnect 26:40 - Taking care of your body 38:32 - A good night's sleep 47:49 - Taking care of your mind About Mathias Wegmüller Mathias is an accomplished entrepreneur, board member and investor, with multi-year expertise in digital transformation. Together with Simon Scheurer, Mathias co-founded Qumram in 2011 and led it in different roles - CEO, Head of Business Development and Sales - until the successful exit a

Jul 28, 2021 • 1:02:57

EP #176 - Alexander Curiger: From Family Business To International Brand | With Lukas Reinhardt & Tom Schlup

EP #176 - Alexander Curiger: From Family Business To International Brand | With Lukas Reinhardt & Tom Schlup

Timestamps: 04:40 - How market dynamics affect young companies 8:38 - Validating the market 20:35 - Why startups should participate in the SEF Growth initiative 22:23 - How SEF assesses companies 33:26 - The UBS growth advisory About Alexander, Lukas and Tom Alexander Curiger is the managing owner of the spirits company Silverbogen, which he co-founded in 2010. Since 2010 he has also been a board member at the family business Curiger Immobilien. Lukas Reinhardt is a corporate finance profession

Jul 25, 2021 • 36:35

EP #175 - Mathias Wegmüller: The Qumram Story

EP #175 - Mathias Wegmüller: The Qumram Story

Timestamps: 1:06 - Summarizing your life in 10 year spans 6:32 - Deciding to focus on just one thing 11:11 - What made UNIC special? 19:53 - Escaping the bootstrapping trap 50:06 - Being acquired by Dynatrace About Mathias Wegmüller Mathias is an accomplished entrepreneur, board member and investor, with multi-year expertise in digital transformation. Together with Simon Scheurer, Mathias co-founded Qumram in 2011 and led it in different roles - CEO, Head of Business Development and Sales - unt

Jul 21, 2021 • 1:07:01

EP #174 - Tobias Gunzenhauser: Vom Veganismus Experiment Zur Internationalen Firma | Mit Swiss Economic Forum

EP #174 - Tobias Gunzenhauser: Vom Veganismus Experiment Zur Internationalen Firma | Mit Swiss Economic Forum

Timestamps: 3:45 - Die ersten Startup Ideen 7:48 - Wie entstand die Idee zu yamo? 15:30 - Die erste Produktion 22:10 - Tipps an Studierende die etwas starten wollen 30:50 - Gebrandete Kühlschränke im Coop Über Tobias Gunzenhauser: Tobias Gunzenhauser ist Mitgründer und CEO von Yamo, einem Startup, welches mit seinen gesunden Snacks für Kinder und Babies den Markt revolutioniert. Bevor er selbst zum Gründer wurde, arbeitete er im Bereich Purchasing und Marketing Controlling bei Coop und später a

Jul 18, 2021 • 44:24

EP #173 - Remo Uherek: The Investing Masterclass

EP #173 - Remo Uherek: The Investing Masterclass

Timestamps: 6:51 - Why invest your money at all 9:53 - Explaining compounding interest 20:46 - How much you should invest 26:14 - What to invest in 40:30 - Whether you can time the market About Remo Uherek Remo Uherek is a founder, investor and content creator who has been active since the early 2000s. He co-founded the marketing agency Trigami, a pioneer in Swiss influencer marketing, which in 2011 merged with ebuzzing and in 2014 with Teads to create a global network. In 2012 he left this gr

Jul 14, 2021 • 56:49

EP #172 - Melanie Gabriel: Ausgaben Management Leicht Gemacht | Mit Swiss Economic Forum

EP #172 - Melanie Gabriel: Ausgaben Management Leicht Gemacht | Mit Swiss Economic Forum

Timestamps: 2:09 - Der Weg ins Unternehmertum 5:50 - Wie aus Spesen ein spannendes Thema wurde 9:28 - Tipps für die Unternehmensgründung 20:59 - yokoy in drei Ländern 26:20 - Der Deal bei 'Die Höhle der Löwen' Über Melanie Gabriel: Melanie Gabriel ist Mitgründerin des Schweizer Fintechs Yokoy, welches mit künstlicher Intelligenz den Spesen- und Lieferantenrechnungsprozess von Unternehmen automatisiert. Bevor sie 2019 die Rolle als Mitgründerin und Chief Marketing Officer bei Yokoy einnahm, stud

Jul 11, 2021 • 32:37

EP #171 - Remo Uherek: From The Heights Of Success To The Lows Of Depression

EP #171 - Remo Uherek: From The Heights Of Success To The Lows Of Depression

Timestamps: 5:24 - Starting an influencer marketing agency in 2006 28:39 - Merging cultures 50:03 - Receiving an acquisition notice 54:07 - Burnout, anxiety, depression 1:07:01 - Can you build a startup without burning out? About Remo Uherek Remo Uherek is a founder, investor and content creator who has been active since the early 2000s. He co-founded the marketing agency Trigami, a pioneer in Swiss influencer marketing, which in 2011 merged with ebuzzing and in 2014 with Teads to create a glob

Jul 7, 2021 • 1:13:10

EP #170 - Freddy Hunziker: New Roots Melkt Cashews Statt Kühe | Mit Swiss Economic Forum

EP #170 - Freddy Hunziker: New Roots Melkt Cashews Statt Kühe | Mit Swiss Economic Forum

Timestamps: 2:11 Vom Polymechaniker zum veganen Käser 7:20 Der Weg zum veganen Käse 12:53 Traditionelle Berufe für innovative Produkte 22:00 Wann kommt der vegane Hartkäse? 27:04 Die neue Produktion in Oberdiessbach About Freddy Hunziker: Freddy Hunziker ist der Gründer von New Roots, einer Firma, welche nachhaltige und vegane Alternativen zu Milchprodukten herstellt. Bevor Freddy zum Unternehmer mit einer Mission wurde, absolvierte er eine Lehre als Pol

Jul 4, 2021 • 31:04

EP #169 - Julian Massler: Train Like An Astronaut

EP #169 - Julian Massler: Train Like An Astronaut

Timestamps: 1:16 - Discovering HIIT training 12:06 - How an injury leads to a company 22:30 - How a 6 min workout delivers results 35:18 - When COVID hit 51:41 - How Aurum stands out in the fitness market About Julian Massler: Julian Massler is the co-founder and CEO at Aurum Fit, the data-driven high intensity strength training startup that promises results with just 6 min per week. Before starting his own company, Julian was a junior investment banker at GCA Altium, and he holds a bachelor's

Jun 30, 2021 • 1:26:16

EP #168 - Léa Miggiano: Das Auto Im Abo | Mit Swiss Economic Forum

EP #168 - Léa Miggiano: Das Auto Im Abo | Mit Swiss Economic Forum

Timestamps: 2:00 - Warum Léa zu Beginn wöchentlich das Auto wechselte 6:20 - Wie die Idee zu Carvolution entstand 15:06 - Die ersten Kunden 19:23 - Welches Auto wird am Meisten vermietet? 28:00 - Was macht Léa stolz? Über Léa Miggiano: Léa Miggiano ist Mitgründerin des Auto-Abo Anbieters Carvolution, mit welchem Kunden ihr Auto in einem all inclusive Paket zu einem monatlichen Fixpreis abonnieren können. Heute ist Léa eine der Top 100 Women in Business im Bereich Digital Startups und wurde als

Jun 27, 2021 • 34:56

EP #167 - Cédric Waldburger: Pick Your Co-Founder Wisely

EP #167 - Cédric Waldburger: Pick Your Co-Founder Wisely

Timestamps: 3:47 - Becoming an angel investor full-time 9:43 - Tomahawk success stories 12:12 - The Hong Kong ecosystem 10 years ago 21:34 - Failing to communicate with your co-founder About Cédric Waldburger Cédric waldburger is a startup investor, essentialist and explorer. He invests in early-stage technology companies through his VC firm Tomahawk.vc, with a focus on fintech and decentralized finance companies. Prior to that, he built companies in the agency, consumer and blockchain sector.

Jun 23, 2021 • 36:33

EP #166 - Simon Ittig: Mit Bakterien Gegen Den Krebs | Mit Swiss Economic Forum

EP #166 - Simon Ittig: Mit Bakterien Gegen Den Krebs | Mit Swiss Economic Forum

Timestamps: 5:03 - Der Weg zur Krebsforschung 9:18 - Vom Doktorat zum Unternehmen 11:00 - Wann kommt das Produkt an den Markt? 28:02 - Die grössten Herausforderungen Über Simon Ittig Simon Ittig ist Mitgründer und CEO von T3 Pharma, einem Spin-Off der Uni Basel, welches eine Krebstherapie mit genetisch veränderten Bakterien entwickelt. Bevor er eher zufällig zur Krebsforschung kam, studierte er Biochemie an der Universität Bern und Biotechnologie in Strasbourg und Wien. Von 2008-2012 absolviert

Jun 20, 2021 • 44:36

EP #165 - Martin Voynikov: Boosting Productivity With OKRs

EP #165 - Martin Voynikov: Boosting Productivity With OKRs

Timestamps 1:08 - What an OKR is 5:02 - Why startups aren't too small to work with OKRs 13:47 - What a bad OKR looks like 21:18 - Who should own the OKRs 30:20 - How often you should discuss OKRs About Martin Voynikov Martin Voynikov is the director of product at Gtmhub, an OKR software for missions that matter. He previously helped create a mobile AR game called Visualz Inc, which guided kids through museums in a fun, enriching way. More recently, he was the product manager at eezy.ai, the mob

Jun 16, 2021 • 46:16

EP #164 - David Gugelmann: Die Schweizer Cyberabwehr | Mit Swiss Economic Forum

EP #164 - David Gugelmann: Die Schweizer Cyberabwehr | Mit Swiss Economic Forum

Timestamps: 2:33 - Unternehmerischer Antrieb 13:20 - Wie sich das Exeon Gründerteam gefunden 25:15 - Budgetplanung bei langen Sales-Cycles 27:50 - Als Speaker an einer NATO Konferenz 36:12 - Challenges der Zukunft Über David Gugelmann David Gugelmann ist der Gründer und CEO von Exeon Analytics, einem cyber security ETH Spin-Off, welches mit seinem Algorithmus versteckte Hacker-Angriffe detektiert und Firmen so vor teuren Datenverlusten schützt. Nach seinem Studium an der ETH forschte David Guge

Jun 13, 2021 • 44:39

EP #163 - Markus Witte: An App For People Who Love Learning

EP #163 - Markus Witte: An App For People Who Love Learning

Timestamps: 1:06 - Hating school, loving learning 4:58 - A good vs successful entrepreneur. 10:21 - The early days of Babbel 19:22 - How doubt helps us 23:29 - Picking the paid subscription model About Markus Witte Markus Witte is the co-founder and former CEO at Babbel, the top-grossing language learning app which has been around since 2007. Nowadays he serves as its executive chairman. Markus is based in Berlin and has a background in academia, specifically the social sciences. A passion for

Jun 9, 2021 • 32:55

EP #162 - Carlo Loderer: Die Smarte Schliessfachlösung | Mit Swiss Economic Forum

EP #162 - Carlo Loderer: Die Smarte Schliessfachlösung | Mit Swiss Economic Forum

Timestamps: 8:40 - Zippsafe's Intelligenz 11:05 - Warum der Gesundheitsbereich? 16:05 - Ist der normale Spint die einzige Konkurrenz? 29:38 - Firmengründung & grösste Ängste zu Beginn 41:03 - Die nächste Schritte Über Carlo Loderer Carlo Loderer ist co-founder und CEO von Zippsafe, dem Pionier für smarte, platzsparende Personalumkleiden. Vor bzw. während er Zippsafe gründete, studierte er Maschinenbau und Engineering an der ETH. Das Bedürfnis nach einer praktischen Garderobenlösung hatte Ca

Jun 6, 2021 • 57:23

EP #161 - Daniel Protz: A Taste Of Success

EP #161 - Daniel Protz: A Taste Of Success

Timestamps: 2:33 - Does the Ivy League open doors? 15:14 - Turning down a unicorn job 22:00 - From the Midwest to Zurich 40:17 - Trying to run yourself out of business 1:00:14 - Taking on your first investor late in the game About Daniel Protz Daniel Protz is the founder and CEO of FlavorWiki, a B2B digital service supporting the food and beverages industry with customer insight and data management. With an impressive track record in reputable corporate companies such as Goldman Sachs, Deutsche

Jun 2, 2021 • 1:12:49

EP #160 - Jeannette Morath: Das Geschäft Ohne Abfall | Mit Swiss Economic Forum

EP #160 - Jeannette Morath: Das Geschäft Ohne Abfall | Mit Swiss Economic Forum

Timestamps 4:50 - Warum ReCIRCLE günstiger ist als Einwegverpackungen 11:30 - Warum sogar Greta Thunberg, Einfluss aufs Geschäft hatte 17:00 - Warum Kunststoff nicht nur schlecht ist 25:45 - Die Laufbahn von Jeannette 37:00 - Neue Produktentwicklungen Über Jeannette Morath und reCIRCLE Jeannette Morath ist die Gründerin von reCIRCLE, der Schweizer Branchenlösung für Mehrwegverpackung in der Unterwegsverpflegung. Vor der Gründung ihres eigenen Unternehmens war sie als Projektmanagerin im Veranst

May 30, 2021 • 48:55

EP #159 - Tobias Gunzenhauser: Taking The Kid's Food Industry By Storm

EP #159 - Tobias Gunzenhauser: Taking The Kid's Food Industry By Storm

Timestamps: 1:08 - The entrepreneur DNA 7:20 - Deciding to quit your job 15:45 - Introducing a new technology to the market 34:02 - Struggling with regulations 38:26 - 3 childless men making baby food About Tobias Gunzenhauser Tobias Gunzenhauser is co-founder and CEO of yamo, a B2C company revolutionizing the kid's food market with nutritious and organic options for kids of all ages. Tobias’s academic background is in Business and Marketing. However, corpora

May 26, 2021 • 1:08:32

EP #158 - Martin Stadler: Das Digitale Zuhause Für Dein Vermögen | Mit Swiss Economic Forum

EP #158 - Martin Stadler: Das Digitale Zuhause Für Dein Vermögen | Mit Swiss Economic Forum

Timestamps: 1:38 - Altoo in 30 Sekunden 8:08 - Wie Altoo Hackerangriffe abwehrt 16:37 - War das Timing richtig? 24:15 - Corporate Job oder Unternehmer? 35:23 - Welchen Einfluss hatte COVID für Altoo? Über Martin Stadler und Altoo Martin Stadler ist CEO von Altoo, einem Software Unternehmen, welches ein digitales Cockpit für die einfache Darstellung von komplexen Vermögensstrukturen anbietet. Bevor Martin selbst zum Unternehmer wurde, startete er 1996 seine berufliche Laufbahn als KV Lehrling bei

May 23, 2021 • 46:43

EP #157 - Cynthia Jurytko: Let The Students Run The Fund

EP #157 - Cynthia Jurytko: Let The Students Run The Fund

Timestamps: 1:16 - An international background 5:00 - 3 crucial factors for a good investment 10:23 - Losing an investment 16:30 - Launching a student fund 23:42 - How they pick the students About Cynthia Jurytko Cynthia Jurytko is a professional Business Angel and President of the Board of S2S Ventures, Switzerland's first student-run Venture Capital firm. In 2012, Cynthia left the path of management consulting to become Head of Investment Strategy and Portfolio Management at Neue Zürcher Zeit

May 19, 2021 • 42:19

EP #156 - Jörg Sandrock: Die Schweizer Neobank | Mit Swiss Economic Forum

EP #156 - Jörg Sandrock: Die Schweizer Neobank | Mit Swiss Economic Forum

Timestamps: 2:12 - Neon onboarding in 10 Minuten 7:45 - Das Neon Gründerteam 12:30 - Warum der Name Neon 17:00 - Welche Kreditkarte nutzt Jörg 20:56 - Vertrauensaufbau bei Kunden Bio Jörg Sandrock ist co-founder und CEO von neon, der ersten Schweizer Smartphone Bank ohne Kartengebühren. Vor seiner Karriere als Unternehmer, war der studierte Wirtschaftsingenieur (Karlsruher Institut für Technologie) über 11 Jahre im Beratungsunternehmen Strategy& tätig, wo er auch zwei seiner drei Mitgründer

May 16, 2021 • 32:09

EP #155 - Serguei Beloussov: Being Valued At $2.5bn

EP #155 - Serguei Beloussov: Being Valued At $2.5bn

Timestamps: 1:00 - Growing up in the Soviet Union 10:41 - Recommendations for going international 13:53 - How and when to acquire companies 16:18 - Helping your company as a scientist 21:05 - Valuation About Serguei Beloussov Serguei Beloussov is Founder and CEO of Acronis, a global company focused on cyber protection, recovery solutions and storage management services. A scientist by training raised in the former Soviet Union, Serguei started his first business in graduate school. Then, in 200

May 12, 2021 • 25:59

EP #154 - Andreas Lenzhofer: Mit High-End Pyjamas Zum Optimalen Schlaf | Mit Swiss Economic Forum

EP #154 - Andreas Lenzhofer: Mit High-End Pyjamas Zum Optimalen Schlaf | Mit Swiss Economic Forum

Timestamps 5:10 - Besser schlafen durch Thermoregulierung 8:00 - Skepsis beim Markteintritt 13.08 - Die USP's eines Dagsmejan Pyjamas 27.27 - Ehepartner und Co-Gründer 35.05 - Kurz vor der Kapitulation Bio Andreas Lenzhofer ist co-founder und CEO von Dagsmejan, ein Unternehmen, welches innovative Bekleidung für besseren Schlaf entwickelt. Bevor der Aargauer selbst zum Unternehmer wurde, studierte er Finance an der FHNW in Olten (früher HWV) und verfolgte anschliessend für knapp 20 Jahre eine Ka

May 9, 2021 • 42:38

EP #153 - Ross Mason: Ringing The Bell At The NY Stock Exchange

EP #153 - Ross Mason: Ringing The Bell At The NY Stock Exchange

Timestamps: 1:06 - Being obsessed with running businesses 6:28 - Creating the mulesoft open source project 12:15 - Should you solve your own problem? 21:00 - Open sourcing software 1:01:30 - Getting prospective clients to follow through 1:04:08 - Letting go of your CTO position 1:07:51 - Falling into a depression 1:11:14 - Ringing the bell at the NY stock exchange 1:35:10 - Adapting to a slower paced life About Ross Mason Ross Mason is the founder of MuleSoft Inc. and Dig Ventures. He is also a

May 5, 2021 • 2:00:10

EP #152 - Sergio Studer: Wie Carify Die Autoindustrie Revolutioniert | Mit Swiss Economic Forum

EP #152 - Sergio Studer: Wie Carify Die Autoindustrie Revolutioniert | Mit Swiss Economic Forum

Timestamps 07:14 – Die Bereitschaft halb so viel zu verdienen 13:35 – Point of no return und die vermeintliche Auto-Garagen-Mafia 21:33 – Von Shopify zum Aufbau einer eigenen Technologieplattform 23:50 – Unzufriedene Kunden for the win 35:47 – internationale Märkte, aufmerksame Mitbewerber und gefragte Investoren-Qualitäten Bio Sergio Studer ist Co-Founder von CARIFY, der grössten Schweizer Auto-Abo Plattform. Vor der Gründung studierte er Betriebswirtschaft an der Universität St. Gallen und ar

May 2, 2021 • 45:24

EP #151 - Oliver Marchand: Investing In A Sustainable Future

EP #151 - Oliver Marchand: Investing In A Sustainable Future

Timestamps: 1:08 - Studying computer science and meteorology 8:49 - What does transparency mean? 28:11 - Finding perseverance 36:55 - Acquiring clients 58:00 - Thinking over a business strategy About Oliver Marchand Oliver Marchand is Managing Director and Global Head of ESG Research and Models at MSCI Inc., a worldwide provider of support tools and services for investment needs. Marchand finished his PhD in Computer Science and Meteorology from ETH Zürich in 2003. In 2005, he took a role as He

Apr 28, 2021 • 1:01:40

EP #150 - Tobias Zehnder: Building A Company During The Financial Crisis

EP #150 - Tobias Zehnder: Building A Company During The Financial Crisis

Timestamps: 6:18 - How Tobias got into online advertising 9:11 - Working at Google in 2007 20:31 - Launching Webrepublic in 2009 29:30 - How to assess talent 51:02 - A marketing family About Tobias Zehnder Tobias Zehnder is Co-Founder and Partner at Webrepublic AG, a Swiss digital marketing agency boosting your company’s online performance through meaningful business value strategies. Zehnder caught the entrepreneurial bug early on: during his student days in the 2000s, Tobias was a freelancing

Apr 21, 2021 • 1:07:54

EP #149 - Adrienne Perramond: Trends In Swiss Angel Investing

EP #149 - Adrienne Perramond: Trends In Swiss Angel Investing

Timestamps: 2:20 - "Stiff" Switzerland 8:13 - Crucial business angel skills 11:32 - Average ticket size 25:44 - Covid trends 34:08 - Picking 3 markets About Adrienne Perramond Adrienne Perramond is Mediator at GDC Médiation and Board Member at Business Angels Switzerland, one of the leading angel investing networks nationwide. Adrienne grew up in a multicultural environment between Switzerland, the US and England, where she completed her BSc in Business at the University of Buckingham. In 2001,

Apr 14, 2021 • 50:41

EP #148 - Edouard Treccani: Switzerland's First Dorm Room Fund

EP #148 - Edouard Treccani: Switzerland's First Dorm Room Fund

Timestamps: 9:21 - Putting an end to your startup 11:12 - How does a 0 equity accelerator make money? 15:24 - Wingman Ventures' investment focus 24:14 - Launching the Wingman Campus Fund 34:45 - Dealing with an ever-changing group of students About Edouard Treccani Edouard Treccani is Head of Partnerships at Wingman Ventures, Switzerland's leading fund for tech projects in pre-seed and seed stages. From 2012 to 2014, he worked as an intern for Crédit Agricole Suisse and BCV while balancing a sm

Apr 11, 2021 • 50:02

EP #147 - Gonzalo Sanchez: An Outsider Writing About European Tech

EP #147 - Gonzalo Sanchez: An Outsider Writing About European Tech

Timestamps: 1:25 - Dropping out of university 12:29 - The early days of Seedtable 19:38 - Adding a pay wall 26:25 - The future of the European ecosystem 36:37 - An outsider's perspective on the Swiss ecosystem About Gonzalo Sanchez Gonzalo Sanchez is currently Head of Growth for On Deck, an educational community for those willing to learn about technology and innovation through creativity and self-improvement. Gonzalo is a natural learner: his writing skills and curiosity for new ideas led him

Apr 7, 2021 • 44:10

EP #146 - Monica Maurer: Erfolgreich Digital Administrieren

EP #146 - Monica Maurer: Erfolgreich Digital Administrieren

Timestamps 1:55 - Biggest mistakes in digital administration 4:00 - Monthly, quarterly, and yearly tasks 30:01 - Where to find resources 38:30 - Core functionalities of a good financial tool 47:13 - How to find a suitable accountant/trustee About Monica Maurer Monica Maurer is a certified trustee and Swiss Certified Fiduciary at ACT Audit & Tax. In her role, she helps startups and SMEs with their accounting questions. Based on her many years of experience, here are some of her recommendatio

Apr 4, 2021 • 55:14

EP #145 - Jean-Michel Pittet: A $240M Ticket To Your New Job

EP #145 - Jean-Michel Pittet: A $240M Ticket To Your New Job

Timestamps: 1:33 - Working a minimum wage job in America 8:12 - Finding out what you're passionate about 26:20 - The dot com bubble 53:49 - Getting acquired for $240M 1:08:17 - Merging two teams About Jean-Michel Pittet Jean-Michel Pittet is Vice-President of Engineering of Adobe since 2013. With his decades-long expertise of management and product development, Jean-Michel believes any tech-savvy person can become a skilful leader. His main concerns include creating meaningful digital experienc

Mar 31, 2021 • 1:26:42

EP #144 - Nicholas Hänny: Die Erfolgsstory Von NIKIN

EP #144 - Nicholas Hänny: Die Erfolgsstory Von NIKIN

Timestamps: 1:49 - First entrepreneurial activities 7:05 - The start of the NIKIN story 20:47 - Where NIKIN finds its employees 27:35 - The unplanned marketing success 39:29 - Hardcore fans tattooing the NIKIN logo About Nicolas Hänny and NIKIN Nicholas Hänny is the co-founder and CEO of NIKIN, a sustainable fashion startup. Nicholas started NIKIN in 2016 together with his childhood friend Robin Gnehm after having been rejected by several large consulting companies he applied to intern with. Wi

Mar 28, 2021 • 52:45

EP #143 - Tanja Dowe: Investing In Digital Health

EP #143 - Tanja Dowe: Investing In Digital Health

Timestamps: 2:29 - Having a surgeon and a business woman for parents 6:13 - Are entrepreneurs born or made? 25:04 - Tanja's investment focus area 29:44 - Red flags for an investor 44:52 - The Finnish and Swiss ecosystems About Tanja Dowe Tanja Dowe is CEO for the Debiopharm International Innovation Fund and Board Member for Novadiscovery and Oncomfort. Using her expertise in strategic business and market demands, Tanja’s work encourages commercialization of innovative healthcare technologies an

Mar 24, 2021 • 55:27

EP #142 - Alan Frei: So Geht Online Verkaufen

EP #142 - Alan Frei: So Geht Online Verkaufen

Timestamps 2:46 - Why Lukas Speiser was the right co-founder 8:45 - The beginning of Amorana 18:12 - How to sell sex toys in conservative Switzerland 35:20 - Alan's online marketing framework 49:20 - Amorana acquisition About Alain Frei and Amorana Alan Frei is the co-founder of amorana.ch, an e-commerce platform for sex toys and lingerie. In 2020, he sold a majority stake in Amorana to the British Lovehoney Group. Before starting Amorana, he experimented with a variety of other projects such a

Mar 21, 2021 • 59:00

EP #141 - Valérie Vuillerat: Diversity In The Startup World

EP #141 - Valérie Vuillerat: Diversity In The Startup World

Timestamps: 2:11 - A solution-oriented family 17:21 - Investing in diversity from day one 22:43 - Becoming a mother and founding WeShapeTech 30:14 - Gendered language 48:25 - How to recruit About Valérie Vuillerat Valérie Vuillerat is CEO of Nine Internet Solutions, the leading provider of platform management solutions in Switzerland. With ample experience in board membership, business administration and entrepreneurial expertise, Valérie was also CEO for Ginetta and co-founder of Witty Works,

Mar 17, 2021 • 1:05:58

EP #140 - Stefan Flück: Erlebnisgeschenke Und Online-Marketing

EP #140 - Stefan Flück: Erlebnisgeschenke Und Online-Marketing

Timestamps: 3:16 - What is Appentura? 20:26 - The Höhle der Löwen deal 28:43 - Offline vs. online marketing 33:30 - Marketing with Google 41:41 - Next milestones About Stefan Flück and Appentura: Stefan Flück is the founder and CEO of Appentura, a provider of surprise experience gifts. Stefan started Appentura in 2014 when he pitched the idea at a startup competition. The original idea was to offer customers the possibility to buy a surprise for themselves within a given timeframe and budget. S

Mar 14, 2021 • 47:03

EP #139 - Martin Godel: What EasyGov Can Offer Startups

EP #139 - Martin Godel: What EasyGov Can Offer Startups

Timestamps: 0:58 - Why companies need an e-government solution 3:45 - Switzerland vs Estonia 20:48 - The startup lifecycle on EasyGov 25:27 - Covid loans 34:55 - Collecting data and protecting privacy About Martin Godel Martin Godel is the Head of Small and Medium Size Enterprise Policy at the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), based in Berne. In 2002, he earned his Master’s Degree of Law and Diplomacy from Fletcher School, administered by Tufts and Harvard University. For nearly tw

Mar 10, 2021 • 46:20

EP #138 - Karim Nemr: Wie Die Digitalisierung Dein Leben Verändern Wird

EP #138 - Karim Nemr: Wie Die Digitalisierung Dein Leben Verändern Wird

Timestamps 5:18 Challenges at Dacuda 9:25 Lead up to the Magic Leap acquisition 13:29 How PXL vision emerged 29:02 What is digitization 33:46 Tools to help with digitization About Karim Nemr Karim Nemr is the co-founder and CBO (Chief Business Officer) at PXL Vision, an ETH spinoff focused on digital identity verification. Karim started his career as a business developer at Dacuda, the company founded by Swisspreneur guest Michael Born. He joined the company at a very early stage and was heavil

Mar 7, 2021 • 43:45

EP #137 - Aleksandra Laska: Q&A — The Investment Journey From Start To Finish

EP #137 - Aleksandra Laska: Q&A — The Investment Journey From Start To Finish

Timestamps: 1:03 - A day in the life of a VC 3:15 - Accidentally becoming a VC 4:35 - Working for Goldman Sachs 7:13 - Looking after yourself 8:38 - How to get in touch with a VC 10:45 - Vision-based pitch vs Problem statements 13:24 - What a pitch deck should look like 19:44 - Who has the higher leverage — the VC or the startup 22:42 - How VCs finally make a decision 26:30 - A VC's criteria for a startup 43:25 - How a VC actually supports a startup 49:00 - Conflict between investors and founder

Mar 3, 2021 • 1:10:25

EP #136 - Judith Bellaiche: Priming Switzerland For Risk And Success

EP #136 - Judith Bellaiche: Priming Switzerland For Risk And Success

Timestamps: 1:54 - Startups disrupt the economic establishment 3:23 - Launching a parliamentary group for startups 9:05 - Misconceptions regarding startups 13:32 - The startup visa 21:07 - What's coming next? About Judith Bellaiche and the Parliamentary Group for Startups and Entrepreneurship Judith Bellaiche is a Swiss national politician (Swiss Green Liberal Party, GLP) and co-initiator of the Parliamentary Group for Startups and Entrepreneurship. She was first introduced to the Swiss startup

Feb 28, 2021 • 24:31

EP #135 - Thomas Dübendorfer: The Business Angels Of Switzerland

EP #135 - Thomas Dübendorfer: The Business Angels Of Switzerland

Timestamps: 5:26 - What is a business angel 30:47 - The investment process 42:15 - Whether angels accept board mandates 46:05 - Managing a portfolio of over 30 investments 59:29 - Why angels are important for the ecosystem The Episode in 60 seconds What you need to know about angel investing in Switzerland. The most common mistakes of new angel investors: - Accepting the first deal they are offered: many new angel investors fall into the trap of investing into the first deal they are offered wi

Feb 24, 2021 • 1:07:58

EP #134 - Simon Enderli: Taxes, Talent And Funding

EP #134 - Simon Enderli: Taxes, Talent And Funding

Timestamps 1:58 - Founding SWESA 3:45 - Being a "working president" 5:00 - Taxes, talent and funding 13:33 - Misconceptions regarding Swiss politics 23:20 - What's the difference between the SSA and SWESA? About Simon Enderli and SWESA Simon Enderli is the CEO of the Swiss Entrepreneurs Foundation (SEF) and President of the Swiss Entrepreneurs & Startup Association (SWESA). Before joining the Swiss Entrepreneurs Foundation as Deputy CEO in 2019, Simon spent 8 years at PostFinance, the finan

Feb 21, 2021 • 32:06

EP #133 - Thomas Dübendorfer: Leaving Google For The Startup World

EP #133 - Thomas Dübendorfer: Leaving Google For The Startup World

Timestamps 0:57 - Academia or entrepreneurship? 2:17 - Working at Google 4:38 - What does Google do differently? 26:40 - Beating out the competition 41:55 - Creating a business angel club About Thomas Dübendorfer Thomas Dübendorfer is the president and co-founder of Swiss ICT Investor Club (SICTIC), the most influential angel investing association in Switzerland, with a scope of work deeply focused on technology start-ups in their earliest developmental stages. Thomas holds a doctoral degree in

Feb 17, 2021 • 48:18

EP #132 - Karim Maizar: Swiss Startup Politics

EP #132 - Karim Maizar: Swiss Startup Politics

Timestamps: 2:00 - Joining SWESA 4:46 - Political hurdles facing Swiss companies 8:52 - The solutions SWESA proposes 16:04 - Misconceptions regarding Swiss politics 20:17 - Does Switzerland have more money than ideas? About Karim Maizar and SWESA Karim Maizar is a partner at Kellerhals Carrard and Board Member of SWESA, the Swiss Entrepreneur and Startup Association. He is the co-founder and head of Kellerhals Carrard’s startup desk and in this capacity has advised some of Switzerland’s most pr

Feb 14, 2021 • 33:23

EP #131 - Leif Langenskiöld: The Swiss-Certified Vitamin Water

EP #131 - Leif Langenskiöld: The Swiss-Certified Vitamin Water

Timestamps: 4:32 - Red Bull being illegal did wonders for its sales 18:01 - Recovering from failure 32:24 - Building on top of an existing brand 44:39 - How important is timing? 54:40 - Turning down most investors About Leif Langenskiöld and FocusWater Leif Langenskiöld is the founder of FocusWater, a Swiss vitamin water. After obtaining his degree in International Relations from the University of St. Gallen, Leif originally planned to join the United Nations. His plans changed significantly wh

Feb 10, 2021 • 1:10:14

EP #130 - Hanspeter Fässler: Autonomous Robots At Work

EP #130 - Hanspeter Fässler: Autonomous Robots At Work

Timestamps: 2:00 - Developing a product at ETH 3:40 - Deciding which market to focus on 6:20 - Successful financing round 7:58 - Swiss or international investors? 15:45 - The Upscaler experience About Hanspeter Fässler and Anybotics Hanspeter Fässler is the co-founder and chairman of Anybotics, an ETH robotics spinoff with a focus on autonomous, walking robots for industrial inspection tasks. Hanspeter started the company in 2016, together with 5 co-founders. At this point, he was already looki

Feb 7, 2021 • 29:09

EP #129 - Simon Scheurer: Life After Exit

EP #129 - Simon Scheurer: Life After Exit

Timestamps: 1:39 - Adapting to the post-exit life 9:07 - Becoming an investor 27:37- Overcoming post-exit depression 37:01 - How do you spend the money? 44:37 - Peace of mind from financial freedom The Episode in 60 seconds Life before and after the exit. Balancing family and business - If you happen to already have a family when you start your own venture, you’ll face trade offs between your family and your work life. Don’t try to sugarcoat this. Be honest with yourself and your loved ones ab

Feb 3, 2021 • 58:47

EP #128 - Roxana Porada: Enabling Trust In A Digital World

EP #128 - Roxana Porada: Enabling Trust In A Digital World

Timestamps: 1:41 - Wanting to build something meaningful 5:16 - $6m Investment round 11:22 - The Upscaler experience 17:37 - Entering the growth stage 20:37 - More about Roxana About Roxana Porada and PXL Vision Roxana Porada is the co-founder and CPO of PXL Vision, a software provider for digital identity solutions. Roxana obtained a degree in Cybernetics and Statistics and subsequently worked as a software developer. In 2012, she joined Dacuda, the company founded by Swisspreneur guest Michae

Jan 31, 2021 • 25:46

EP #127 - Simon Scheurer: Leaving Corporate For The Big Startup Adventure

EP #127 - Simon Scheurer: Leaving Corporate For The Big Startup Adventure

Timestamps: 1:53 - Majoring in Mathematics, Physics and Sociology 16:36 - Persisting through difficulties 25:55 - From co-workers to co-founders 36:57 - Managing competition 46:15 - Deciding whether you should sell About Simon Scheurer and Qumram Simon Scheurer is the co-founder and former CTO of Qumram, a provider of session replay technology for digital compliance. Simon holds a Masters in Physics, Mathematics and Sociology from the University of Berne. He started his career as CTO at the dig

Jan 27, 2021 • 1:01:31

EP #126 - Michele Matt: Down The Entrepreneurial Road

EP #126 - Michele Matt: Down The Entrepreneurial Road

Timestamps: 1:55 - Motivation for taking the leap as a founder 6:27 - Expanding to Sweden 9:20 - Losing investors over Covid 13:18 - The Upscaler experience 18:14 - Shady accelerator programmes About MyCamper and Michele Matt Michele Matt is the co-founder and CEO of MyCamper, a peer-to-peer camper rental platform. Michele started MyCamper in 2015 when he realized that his own camper, Charly, sat idle for a large part of the year. What started as a project to rent out his own vehicle soon turne

Jan 24, 2021 • 26:23

EP #125 - Gianluca Cesari & Gregory Hitz: The Robotics Startup With 8 Co-Founders

EP #125 - Gianluca Cesari & Gregory Hitz: The Robotics Startup With 8 Co-Founders

Timestamps: 2:24 - Gianluca's international background 4:42 - Gregory's academic background 8:08 - Having 8 co-founders 11:47 - The robotics market 27:15 - Getting support as a startup About Gianluca Cesari, Gregory Hitz and Sevensense Robotics Gregory Hitz and Gianluca Cesari are two of the 8 co-founders of Sevensense Robotics, as well as CEO and Business Development Lead, respectively. Gregory obtained his PhD from ETH Zurich later continued as Postdoc. Gianluca also received his Masters in R

Jan 20, 2021 • 46:52

EP #124 - Sreenath Bolisetty: Purifying Water With Milk Proteins

EP #124 - Sreenath Bolisetty: Purifying Water With Milk Proteins

Timestamps: 1:49 - From ETH Researcher to startup founder 9:00 - Winning Investor's Choice 10:35 - Clean tech competitors 12:43 - Having a hard time with sales 17:55 - Moving from India to Europe at 19 About Sreenath Bolisetty and Blue Act Technologies Sreenath Bolisetty is the co-founder and CEO of BluAct Technologies, an ETH spin-off which provides a technology for water purification from heavy metals through milk proteins. In 2020, the company won the Expert’s Choice Award at the Energy Star

Jan 17, 2021 • 21:40

EP #123 - Tobias Häckermann: How Culture Makes Or Breaks A Startup

EP #123 - Tobias Häckermann: How Culture Makes Or Breaks A Startup

Timestamps: 4:18 - Why is culture so important? 16:17 - How to establish a culture 21:39 - Hiring the right people for your culture 37:45 - When employees leave 41:53 - Rapid fire questions The Episode in 60 seconds Getting company culture right. Common mistakes around company culture - Underestimating its importance: Your company vision makes sure everyone pulls on the same rope. The culture ensures everyone pulls in the same direction. Having a strong culture helps employees take good decisio

Jan 13, 2021 • 44:41

EP #122 - Laurent Coulot: The Sunny Future Ahead

EP #122 - Laurent Coulot: The Sunny Future Ahead

Timestamps: 1:46 - Developing the next generation of solar modules 7:29 - Does winning awards help a startup? 8:56 - Fierce competition from China 12:03 - The non-liberalized energy market in Switzerland 14:32 - What will 2021 bring? About Laurent Coulot and Insolight: Laurent Coulot is the co-founder and CEO of Insolight, a photovoltaic startup. Laurent started Insolight in 2015, together with his two co-founders, Mathieu Ackermann and Florian Gerlich. Within 5 years, the company has grown to

Jan 10, 2021 • 18:44

EP #121 - Tobias Häckermann: Putting An End To Meeting Madness

EP #121 - Tobias Häckermann: Putting An End To Meeting Madness

Timestamps: 2:34 - Why study law and not business? 18:06 - Can you work on a startup part-time? 34:46 - Being motivated by challenges. 48:31 - Having a big client not renew the contract 59:58 - Companies asking for discounts About Tobias Häckermann and Sherpany: Tobias Häckermann is the co-founder and CEO of Sherpany, a provider of meeting management software for leadership meetings. Tobias started his first company right out of high school. As a long time practitioner of martial arts, he was t

Jan 6, 2021 • 1:21:08

EP #120 - Liliane Ableitner: The Sustainable Neighborhoods Of Tomorrow

EP #120 - Liliane Ableitner: The Sustainable Neighborhoods Of Tomorrow

Timestamps: 2:00 - Why start your own company? 7:29 - Winning Investor's Choice at Energy Startup Day 12:15 - How to stand out from competition 28:24 - Closing a funding round 33:23 - Choosing between Germany, Switzerland and Austria About Liliane Ableitner and Exnaton: Liliane Ableitner is the co-founder and CEO of Exnaton, a software provider for energy communities, allowing neighbors to trade renewable energy amongst each other. Before starting Exnaton, Liliane was a Doctoral Researcher at t

Jan 3, 2021 • 36:39

EP #119 - Teo Borschberg: The Overnight Pivot

EP #119 - Teo Borschberg: The Overnight Pivot

Timestamps: 2:11 - Typical pivoting mistakes 5:41 - Finding the right customer 15:32 - Generating your first revenue 18:49 - Maximizing growth 25:19 - Product-market fit The episode in 60 seconds Pivoting your business idea to success. Mistakes to avoid - Waiting too long to pivot because you have gotten emotionally attached to the solution or somehow locked yourself in too early. - Iteration cycles which are too long. Building out a finished and polished product for every iteration will make

Dec 30, 2020 • 34:19

EP #118 - Teo Borschberg: Breaking Boundaries With Voice AI

EP #118 - Teo Borschberg: Breaking Boundaries With Voice AI

Timestamps: 2:18 - Being André Borschberg's son 15:45 - The market for voice AI 21:08 - A co-founder leaves the company 26:52 - How to look for advisors 32:59 - Having offices in several countries About Teo Borschberg and OTO.ai: Teo Borschberg is the co-founder and CEO of oto.ai, an AI-powered voice intelligence solution. Teo started his entrepreneurial career after obtaining his maturité (high school diploma). He relocated to China, where he spent 8 months working in a factory, 6.5 days a wee

Dec 23, 2020 • 42:51

EP #117 - Tatiana Cogne: Startups In Lausanne

EP #117 - Tatiana Cogne: Startups In Lausanne

Timestamps: 1:39 - The START Lausanne 6:07 - The team 9:25 - The Covid challenge 11:58 - The resources of the Romandy ecosystem 15:09 - What's next for Tatiana? About Tatiana Cogne and START Lausanne: Tatiana Cogne is the President of START Lausanne and Head of Communication at Swiss Solar Boat. Tatiana joined START in 2019 as an event organizer, after having participated in START Hack and START Summit in St. Gallen. After 9 months as Event Organizer, she advanced to President of the chapter in

Dec 20, 2020 • 19:58

EP #116 - Mina Kamel: Sky-High Innovation At ETH

EP #116 - Mina Kamel: Sky-High Innovation At ETH

Timestamps: 1:26 - From Milano to Zurich 9:08 - The problem with the inspection of inaccessible areas 17:13 - Getting business know-how for your all-tech team 20:56 - New drones in town 32:44 - Preparing for the future About Mina Kamel and Voliro: Mina Kamel is the co-founder and CEO of Voliro, a producer of robotic drones for inspection and light maintenance at height. Mina obtained his Bachelors in Automation Engineering Technology from the Politecnico di Milano before moving to Zurich to obt

Dec 16, 2020 • 41:59

EP #115: Aldo Podestà: Democratizing Access To AI

EP #115: Aldo Podestà: Democratizing Access To AI

Timestamps: 1:29 - Why create an AI startup? 9:00 - Having a great team 10:33 - Combining vision with short-term strategy 16:57 - Creating a company narrative 19:07 - Tips for students today About Aldo Podestà: Aldo Podestà is the founder and CEO of L2F, the company behind the platform Giotto.ai, which builds and hosts high performance machine learning applications. Before starting Giotto in 2017, Aldo Podestà worked in Sales Strategy at Philip Morris, in Lausanne. The idea for Giotto was born

Dec 13, 2020 • 27:45

EP #114 - Yoko Spirig: The Benefits Of Employee Participation Plans

EP #114 - Yoko Spirig: The Benefits Of Employee Participation Plans

Timestamps: 2:19 - Why doesn't Europe get employee participation plans right? 7:04 - How much equity should you give your employees? 16:26 - How to communicate stock option plans to your team 23:35 - The politics of stock option plans 27:53 - Rapid fire questions Episode in 60 seconds Getting employee participation plans right. Why participation plans are important - As a startup, you’ll often struggle to compete with established companies on the salary front. Stocks are your secret weapon to

Dec 9, 2020 • 32:15

EP #113 - Sébastien Jaffaux: The Swiss Solar Boat

EP #113 - Sébastien Jaffaux: The Swiss Solar Boat

Timestamps 1:21 - Motivation for starting your own business 4:24 - Rocking with your friends 7:46 - Struggling with team management 10:54 - What is the Swiss Romandy ecosystem doing well? 16:07 - More about Sébastien Biography Sébastien Jaffaux is the founder and CTO of the Swiss Solar Boat Association, a project created by engineering students from EPFL and HEIG-VD. Swiss Solar Boat aims to create a solar powered racing boat from scratch, to compete in contests such as the Monaco Solar & E

Dec 6, 2020 • 20:22

EP #112 - Yoko Spirig: Creating The Most Flexible Equity Management Solution

EP #112 - Yoko Spirig: Creating The Most Flexible Equity Management Solution

Timestamps: 2:37 - From studying physics to becoming an entrepreneur 9:55 - Splitting roles 18:01 - The initial idea for Ledgy 22:10 - Finding your first clients 30:12 - Dealing with American competitors Biography: Yoko Spirig is the co-founder and CEO of Ledgy, an equity management company for startups and high growth companies. Yoko studied Physics at ETH Zurich, the University of Oxford and CERN. She was also project lead of Swissloop, helping to build the first Hyperloop pod in Switzerland.

Dec 2, 2020 • 39:26

EP #111 - Alessandra Rojas: Tech4Impact In The Swiss Romandy

EP #111 - Alessandra Rojas: Tech4Impact In The Swiss Romandy

Timestamps: 1:34 - The reason behind Tech For Impact 7:20 - Who's the target student? 11:51 - Milestones so far 17:40 - Toughest challenge 25:56 - More about Alessandra About Alessandra and Tech4Impact Alessandra Rojas is the manager of the EPFL Changemakers program, an incubator program which is part of the EPFL’s Tech4Impact initiative for accelerating ground-breaking and sustainable technological solutions to create positive societal and environmental impact. She was also a co-initiator of V

Nov 29, 2020 • 30:05

EP #110 - Luiza Dobre: Revolutionizing Medical Care

EP #110 - Luiza Dobre: Revolutionizing Medical Care

Timestamps: 7:35 - Reasons for leaving the corporate world 16:19 - Finding the right problem to solve 23:11 - Do solo founders work? 38:09 - Dealing with rejection 46:07 - The scalability issue About Luiza Dobre: Luiza Dobre is the founder and CEO of Komed Health, a healthcare communications platform. She started Komed Health in 2016, after a long time toying with different ideas and struggling to find the right co-founder. Komed Health emerged from the realization that while communication is a

Nov 25, 2020 • 1:10:58

EP #109 - Anaïs Matthey-Junod: Empowering People Through Entrepreneurship

EP #109 - Anaïs Matthey-Junod: Empowering People Through Entrepreneurship

Timestamps: 1:22 - Starting a student project 8:32 - The team behind sun'n'go 16:15 - Tips for making remote teams work 17:34 - Advice for future entrepreneurs 22:07 - The French-speaking Swiss startup scene About Anaïs and Sun'n'go: Anaïs Matthey-Junod obtained a BA in Environmental Science and Engineering and an MA in Energy Management and Sustainability from the EPFL. In the last year of her masters, the idea for sun'n'go was born, after a trip to India with EPFL in 2019. In the following mo

Nov 22, 2020 • 28:46

EP #108 - Caspar Coppetti: Going Up Against Nike And Adidas

EP #108 - Caspar Coppetti: Going Up Against Nike And Adidas

Timestamps: 2:30 - Meeting future co-founders 9:19 - Deciding to go up against Nike and Adidas 21:35 - Finding a business partner 47:14 - Dealing with competition 49:47 - Investors About Caspar Coppetti: Caspar Coppetti is co-founder of On, one of the world’s fastest growing sports brands. Caspar started On together with his two co-founders Olivier Bernhard and David Allemann in 2010 based on their patented CloudTec® technology. On shoes have famously been wo

Nov 18, 2020 • 1:04:01

EP #107 - Jeremias Meier: Optimize Sales, Jumpstart Growth

EP #107 - Jeremias Meier: Optimize Sales, Jumpstart Growth

Timestamps: 10:22 - Understanding your clients (needle question) 14:55 - Getting your customers to use your product more often 17:00 - Achieving negative churns, incentivizing referrals 24:51 - The best lifetime value vs customer acquisition costs ratio 36:53 - When to pull the plug on a certain channel The Episode in 60 Seconds How to find, optimize and scale your sales funnel from early stage to exit. The early mistakes to avoid - Sell like the incumbent: just because one sales funnel is wo

Nov 11, 2020 • 40:48

EP #106 - Jeremias Meier: Spinning A Product Out Of A Service Business

EP #106 - Jeremias Meier: Spinning A Product Out Of A Service Business

Timestamps: 12:56 - Turning a company tool into a product 25:00 - Developing a brand with 25 other people 34:53 - Dealing with the complexity of a growing company 43:23 - Being laughed at by more traditional companies 56:38 - Finding work-life balance About Jeremias Meier: Jeremias Meier is the co-founder and managing director of Bexio, a company offering SaaS around payrolling, invoicing and accounting. Bexio was born out of Jeremias’ first business iBrowse, that he started while still at univ

Nov 4, 2020 • 1:05:34

EP #105 - Mark Essam: Is Vertical Farming The Future?

EP #105 - Mark Essam: Is Vertical Farming The Future?

Timestamps: 5:11 - Getting fired 18:42 - The business model behind vertical farming 22:19 - Having to change your founding team 32:40 - Having an employee steal data from you 37:17 - The ETH Entrepreneur Club About Mark Essam: Mark Essam is the co-founder of YASAI, a vertical farming startup and ETH spin-off. The idea to pursue vertical farming originated from the book "The Vertical Farm: How to feed the world in the 21st century" by Dr. Dickson Despommier, which Mark read during his exch

Oct 28, 2020 • 52:05

EP #104 - Lukas Stuber: Q&A - Data Driven Marketing In 2020

EP #104 - Lukas Stuber: Q&A - Data Driven Marketing In 2020

Timestamps: 3:54 - Most relevant digital marketing channels 13:50 - How do you know you're on the right track? 19:33 - Talking budget 31:15 - When should you switch to an offline marketing channel? 38:41 - Best tool setup About Lukas Stuber: Lukas Stuber is the Managing Director of Dept, a digital agency. Previously, he had founded Yourposition, a digital marketing agency specialized in search engine optimization, which was acquired by Dept in 2018. In 2004, Lukas published the book “Su

Oct 21, 2020 • 45:51

EP #103 - Doris Albisser: Roadmap To The Asian Startup Market

EP #103 - Doris Albisser: Roadmap To The Asian Startup Market

Timestamps: 8:03 - When to expand to Asia 17:54 - Knowing how to change your mentality 19:21 - Will English take you far? 28:26 - What can Europe learn from Asia? 30:25 - What can Asia learn from Europe? The Episode in 60 seconds Why expand your business to Asia - Asian markets are growing rapidly, with a strong increase in purchasing power. - Asia’s entrepreneurial ecosystem has long caught up with the US and is almost unparalleled in its agility and speed. Preparing to expand your business t

Oct 14, 2020 • 38:01

EP #102 - Doris Albisser: From Translator To Master Entrepreneur

EP #102 - Doris Albisser: From Translator To Master Entrepreneur

Timestamps: 2:25 - Turning a translation company into a profit center 15:21 - Finding your core values 19:48 - Dealing with employees who don't fit your culture 25:13 - Going international 46:34 - Working with investors About Doris Albisser: Doris Albisser is the founder and executive Chairwoman of Evaluglobe AG. Through Evaluglobe, she focuses on board mandates, growth investments and advising companies’ in their international expansion. Before starting Evaluglobe, Doris served as the Group CE

Oct 7, 2020 • 58:52

EP #101 - Nicholas Hänny: The Bootstrapped Way To Success

EP #101 - Nicholas Hänny: The Bootstrapped Way To Success

Timestamps: 0:55 - Common mistakes with bootstrapping 2:40 - What's the right channel for you? 12:43 - Offline vs online ads 17:12 - Green Friday sale 24:13 - Scaling your social media presence The Episode in 60 Seconds: Bootstrapping your marketing from scratch The first commandment of bootstrapping: do it yourself. Don’t pay agencies or lawyers for things you can do yourself or copy paste from templates. Don’t start with branding, start with the performance marketing of your product. Thi

Sep 30, 2020 • 44:36

EP #100 - Alfred Escher: Wie Ein Unternehmer Die Schweiz Für Immer Veränderte (Ein Gespräch Mit Joseph Jung)

EP #100 - Alfred Escher: Wie Ein Unternehmer Die Schweiz Für Immer Veränderte (Ein Gespräch Mit Joseph Jung)

Timestamps: 6:01 - Wie die Eisenbahnfrage die Schweiz für immer verändert hat 30:53 - Wer ist Alfred Escher als Mensch? 48:03 - Wie Escher mit Verlust klargekommen ist 59:42 - Umgang mit Krankheit 1:24:48 - Hat Alfred Escher ein tragisches Ende gefunden? About Joseph Jung and Alfred Escher: Joseph Jung is a historian, consultant and the author of one of the most influential biographies of Swiss entrepreneur Alfred Escher as well as “Laboratorium de

Sep 23, 2020 • 1:37:32

EP #99 - Nicholas Hänny: Swiss Sustainable Fashion

EP #99 - Nicholas Hänny: Swiss Sustainable Fashion

Timestamps: 5:40 - Why go through college? 10:08 - Going from idea to execution 21:15 - Building a startup part-time 35:33 - Building a community behind a brand 48:54 - Turning investors down About Nicholas Hänny: Nicholas Hänny is the co-founder and CEO of Nikin, a sustainable fashion startup. Nicholas started Nikin in 2016 together with his childhood friend Robin Gnehm. Within only 4 years, the startup grew to 30 employees and CHF 7.2 m revenue. In 2019, Nicholas received the “Aargauer of the

Sep 16, 2020 • 1:04:18

EP #98 - Phil Lojacono: Q&A - The Peace And War-time CEO

EP #98 - Phil Lojacono: Q&A - The Peace And War-time CEO

Timestamps: 4:00 - Hiring the best people 23:28 - The management team 28:02 - Dealing with investors 41:04 - Being Chief Culture Officer 45:04 - Are great CEOs born or made? About Phil Lojacono: Phil Lojacono is the co-founder and CEO of Advanon, one of Switzerland’s formerly fastest growing fintech startups. Advanon offers a platform for SMEs to bidge long payment terms by providing them with liquidity through financial investors. Phil started Advanon in 2015, shortly after his internship at G

Sep 9, 2020 • 1:07:39

EP #97 - Dorina Thiess: Founders In Love

EP #97 - Dorina Thiess: Founders In Love

Timestamps: 0:58 - Starting a company with your significant other 2:08 - How to evaluate the potential of a founding team 7:55 - Added pressure to your relationship 17:10 - Splitting roles 21:14 - Challenging situations The episode in 60 seconds: Starting a business with your significant other can be a rewarding experience. In this episode, Dorina shared her insights about how to make it work. Rules and communication - Starting your business is a 24/7 endeavor and it can become overbear

Sep 2, 2020 • 29:39

EP #96 - Dorina Thiess: From Grad School To The Startup World

EP #96 - Dorina Thiess: From Grad School To The Startup World

Timestamps: 1:27 - Becoming an entrepreneur after an impressive student CV 8:48 - Discovering the vet market 19:47 - Convincing investors about your hardware tech 25:45 - Winning American clients remotely 31:19 - The trickiness of raising Swiss funds About Dorina Thiess: Dr. Dorina Thiess is the CEO and co-founder of Piavita AG, a medtech startup that develops and distributes digital veterinary diagnostic systems. Previously, Dorina worked for the innovation team at BHS in Munich and in the US

Aug 26, 2020 • 39:37

EP #95 - Fabrice Aeberhard: Building Brands That Last

EP #95 - Fabrice Aeberhard: Building Brands That Last

Timestamps: 0:55 - Branding mistakes Swiss startups make repeatedly 5:56 - Building a brand as a group 10:02 - Steps to creating a strong brand 15:03 - Target client vs your personal startup story 20:14 - Rapid fire questions The Episode in 60 Seconds: Getting inspired for your brand - Building a recognizable brand is like building a character - it can come with its own edges and quirks. - Your brand is probably not the first thing you need to worry about but if you move beyond the proof of co

Aug 19, 2020 • 24:32

EP #94 - Peter Käser: Disrupting Swiss E-commerce

EP #94 - Peter Käser: Disrupting Swiss E-commerce

Timestamps: 2:57 - Splitting roles between 5 co-founders 10:05 - Testing the market 19:24 - Having net promoter score as your main KPI 25:40 - Disrupting the market and facing opponents 35:31 - Starting to hire people full-time About Peter Käser: Peter Käser is the Founder and COO of VIU Ventures AG, a Swiss eyewear brand. He started VIU in 2013, together with his co-founder Kilian Wagner, both of them bespectacled. VIU was originally conceived as an online-only store, integrating the entire ey

Aug 12, 2020 • 43:05

EP #93 - Renato Stalder: Q&A - Finance in Switzerland 101

EP #93 - Renato Stalder: Q&A - Finance in Switzerland 101

Timestamps: 1:48 - What can I do on my own and where do I need professional finance advice? 2:55 - What are the best tools to manage your finances? 5:00 - What's the best business credit card out there? 7:20 - Can I use my Swiss bank account to accept international payments? 8:56 - Managing international payments 10:51 - How does the Swiss tax system work? 17:51 - Is Switzerland really tax heaven? 20:52 - Optimizing tax return 22:22 - Do freelancers pay less taxes? 25:24 - Personal finance advic

Aug 5, 2020 • 31:58

EP #92 - Yaël Meier: Selling To Gen Z

EP #92 - Yaël Meier: Selling To Gen Z

Timestamps: 2:11 - What mistakes do Swiss companies make when it comes to Gen Z? 6:19 - Aligning company goals with Gen Z's activist streak 19:13 - Leading people older than you 22:44 - Which social media platforms are currently relevant? 31:00 - How to sell to Gen Z The Episode In 60 Seconds: What is Generation Z? Young people born between 1995 - 2010, NOT Millennials. How to win Generation Z as customers - Do not simply base your assumptions on conversations with your kids. - Talk TO member

Jul 29, 2020 • 38:32

EP #91 - Yaël Meier: Actress, Journalist, Entrepreneur

EP #91 - Yaël Meier: Actress, Journalist, Entrepreneur

Timestamps: 1:13 - Becoming an actress at 14 11:40 - Not going to university 14:45 - Launching your own project 15:40 - Sneaking into fashion shows 27:57 - Starting a company with your romantic partner About Yël Meier: Yaël Meier is an actress, journalist and the co-founder of Zeam, an agency helping companies leverage Generation Z. At the age of 14, Yaël held her first movie role in the Swiss Drama “Upload”. She later on also featured in movies such as «Die fruchtbaren Jahre sind vorbei» and «

Jul 22, 2020 • 40:13

EP #90 - Startup Of The Week: Relai

EP #90 - Startup Of The Week: Relai

Timestamps: 1:07 - Bitcoin and entrepreneurship 8:57 - Biggest milestones so far 15:53 - Having a hard time with fundraising About Julian and Relai: Julian Liniger is the co-founder and CEO of Relai, a startup aiming to empower everyone to invest in Bitcoin. Julian was an early crypto currency aficionado and the go-to person for his friends for anything crypto-related. This made him realize that there was no easy way for the “average Joe” to purchase Bitcoin - and that’s how Relai was born. He

Jul 19, 2020 • 26:49

EP #89 - Verena Kaiser: Q&A On Fundraising Essentials

EP #89 - Verena Kaiser: Q&A On Fundraising Essentials

Timestamps: 2:05 - What's the difference between fundraising for growth vs seed financing? 10:01 - How to find the right investors 17:31 - Negotiating with investors 21:28 - What kills a fundraising process? 27:54 - How much money should you raise? About Verena Kaiser: Verena Kaiser served as the Head of Direct Investment at UBS before becoming Chief of Staff, Corporate & Institutional Clients International in May 2020. As Head of Direct Investment, she was responsible for due diligence and

Jul 15, 2020 • 38:39

EP #88 - Startup Of The Week: Christian Fehr

EP #88 - Startup Of The Week: Christian Fehr

Timestamps: 1:03 - Starting a marine tech startup 6:01 - Is the Swiss marine tech market big enough for Clickahoy? 7:55 - Competing with Americans About Christian and clickahoy: Christian Fehr is the CEO and co-founder of clickahoy, a Swiss marine-tech startup. The founding team behind clickahoy is the same as for ship-ahoy.ch, the boat sharing platform launched in 2016. The founders saw a personal need to make owning a boat “smart” the way owning a car or a house can be. The company is current

Jul 12, 2020 • 15:02

EP #87 - Dennis Just: Bootstrapping Your Company To Scale

EP #87 - Dennis Just: Bootstrapping Your Company To Scale

Timestamps: 0:45 - What mistakes do Swiss startups make repeatedly when it comes to bootstrapping? 14:20 - Boostrapping and growing fast 17:43 - Constant AB testing 25:48 - Building a solid user base 32:45 - Organic traffic & relying on Google The Episode in 60 seconds: Considerations when deciding whether to bootstrap: Bootstrapping is a long term project which needs time and dedication. Once you decide to get on the VC train, you can’t go back. External funding rounds also mean val

Jul 8, 2020 • 48:44

EP #86 - Startup Of The Week: Logmind

EP #86 - Startup Of The Week: Logmind

Timestamps: 7:16 - Competition 8:51 - Should you get a patent? 11:24 - What should you fundraise for? About Ketevani and Logmind: Ketevani Zaridze is the CEO and Founder of Logmind, an AI-accelerated log data analytics platform. Originally from Georgia, she got her Masters in Computer Science from EPFL in Switzerland. After gaining work experience at Xerox, Open Systems and Cern, she started Logmind in 2018. Recently the company signed their first enterprise customer. They are now looking to ra

Jul 5, 2020 • 17:05

EP #85 - Dennis Just: Starting 4 Companies Before Turning 30

EP #85 - Dennis Just: Starting 4 Companies Before Turning 30

Timestamps: 1:23 - Studying economics and engineering 10:16 - Starting a company at 16 19:09 - Why move from the startup world to corporate? 52:52 - Jumping around from company to company 1:10:13 - Burnout and company responsibility About Dennis Just: Dennis Just is the CEO of smallPDF, a SaaS company which offers all-in-one easy-to-use online PDF tools such as merging, editing and signing. Dennis is a serial entrepreneur, having started his first company, dSlash.de, while still in high school.

Jul 1, 2020 • 2:00:49

EP #84 - Startup Of The Week: Turicode

EP #84 - Startup Of The Week: Turicode

Timestamps: 0:48 - Why start your own company? 10:35 - What are they fundraising for? 11:55 - Tackling sales About Martin and Turicode: Martin Keller is the co-founder and CEO of turicode, a machine learning based document extraction solution. The company bootstrapped to CHF 1m in revenue. Their technology, MINT.extract, works to extract information from any type of document, supporting their customers along the entirety of their business processes. They are looking to raise CHF 2m to diversify

Jun 28, 2020 • 18:21

EP #83 - Reto Lämmler: Q&A On Pricing Tips And Tricks

EP #83 - Reto Lämmler: Q&A On Pricing Tips And Tricks

Timestamps: 2:05 - Why do startups need a pricing strategy? 7:55 - Recurring revenue vs One-time fees 18:40 - How the buyer persona influences pricing 32:28 - Maximizing revenue 37:41 - Are discounts a good idea? About Reto Lämmler: Reto Lämmler is the CEO and co-founder of Testing Time, a recruiting platform for usability test users. Some of Reto’s previous ventures include: Xellery, a cloud-based collaboration service for Microsoft Excel, which was sold to expressocorp.com and Rem

Jun 24, 2020 • 50:43

EP #82 - Startup Of The Week: Caressoma

EP #82 - Startup Of The Week: Caressoma

Timestamps: 2:15 - What problem does Caressoma fix? 5:44 - Who uses Caressoma? 8:37 - What milestones has Caressoma recently achieved? About Sophia and Caressoma: Sophia Borowka is the CEO and co-founder of Caressoma, a startup providing ultrasound diagnostics for monitoring soft tissue injuries. Sophia is a physicist by training and has spent several years as CERN Fellow in Geneva. Together with her two co-founders, Jana Maes, an experienced Osteopathy practitioner and Jinesh Kallunkathariyil,

Jun 21, 2020 • 20:34

EP #81 - David Alain Bloch: The Champions Of Legal AI

EP #81 - David Alain Bloch: The Champions Of Legal AI

Timestamps: 4:34 - Where David met his co-founders 10:28 - How to sell to lawyers 15:41 - Does Legartis have competition? 16:35 - Finding the right talent 19:29- Why create a second office in Lisbon? About David Alain Bloch: David Alain Bloch is the CEO and co-founder of Legartis, a legal tech company which uses AI to help businesses with their legal needs. David is an Attorney at Law admitted at the Zurich bar. He was a member of the “Global Shapers”, a World Economic Forum (WEF) community net

Jun 17, 2020 • 22:57

EP #80 - Startup Of The Week: UNISERS

EP #80 - Startup Of The Week: UNISERS

Timestamps: 2:32 - What problem does UNISERS solve? 8:01 - What milestones has UNISERS reached so far? 9:25 - Does UNISERS have competitors? About Fabian and UNISERS: Fabian Walter is the co-founder and CTO of UNISERS, an ETH spinoff specialized in automated analysis equipment for high-purity liquids used in semiconductor production. UNISERS emerged out of the ETH pioneer fellowship in 2017. The company holds a patent for their technology and is currently looking to raise $ 1.2 m to expand thei

Jun 14, 2020 • 18:14

EP #79 - Manuel Hartmann: Q&A On B2B Sales

EP #79 - Manuel Hartmann: Q&A On B2B Sales

Timestamps: 2:06 - Why are sales so important? 5:20 - When should you start having your own sales team? 6:25 - What are the different stages of the B2B process? 7:42 - How do you find the right target client? 8:29 - Should you focus on one industry only? 11:52 - How to qualify leads 14:03 - Testing sales channels 18:19 - Speed up the selling process 24:19 - How to keep in touch with customers 27:21 - How to follow up 28:27 - Do awards and news pieces help you close sales? 29:35 - What are the mo

Jun 10, 2020 • 47:49

EP #78 - Startup Of The Week: What To Label

EP #78 - Startup Of The Week: What To Label

Timestamps: 4:00 - What milestones has What To Label achieved? 4:47 - Internationalization 8:11 - Toughest challenges to overcome About Igor and What To Label: Igor Susmelj is the co-founder of WhatToLabel, a Data Preparation Platform for Machine Learning. Together with his co-founder, Matthias Heller, they bring together the best of the tech and business world. WhatToLabel is both a HSG and an ETH spinoff. Currently, they are looking for funding to take them to the next milestone - 100k in rec

Jun 7, 2020 • 16:26

EP #77 - Lars Mangelsdorf: Getting Swiss Sales Right

EP #77 - Lars Mangelsdorf: Getting Swiss Sales Right

Timestamps: 1:43 - What common mistakes do Swiss companies make in the B2B sales area? 10:14 - How to get the contact details of future customers 18:49 - Is there such a thing as too many follow-ups with clients? 26:21 - Selling something before it even exists 37:06 - The best sales team set-up The Episode in 60 seconds The ABC of B2B sales First Contact - Consider a mix of standardized outreach via cold emails and personalized strategies via phone or more creative means (ever thought about s

Jun 3, 2020 • 50:22

EP #76 - Startup Of The Week: Realbot Engineering

EP #76 - Startup Of The Week: Realbot Engineering

Timestamps: 1:41 - Why start your own company? 6:35 - Winning over clients 15:48 - A young entrepreneur's summer jobs About Alex and Realbot Engineering: Alex Tyropolis is a co-founder and CEO at Realbot Engineering, a startup offering robot technology for remote viewing of real estate. He co-founded the company after years of experience in the real estate industry as an analyst for Engel & Völkers. After only 2 years of bootstrapping, the company already has a working product on the market

May 31, 2020 • 20:18

EP #75 - Melanie Gabriel: From Startup Employee To Startup Founder

EP #75 - Melanie Gabriel: From Startup Employee To Startup Founder

Timestamps: 2:37 - Why Melanie decided to start her own company 9:08 - Big founding teams 17:41 - Closing a big financing round just before covid-19 26:34 - How to hire the right people 30:46 - Ensuring good communication in a growing team About Melanie Gabriel: Melanie Gabriel is the co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer at Yokoy, a SaaS company which leverages Artificial Intelligence to fully automate all expense- and company credit card processes. Before starting Yokoy, Melanie joined Dizmo

May 27, 2020 • 44:00

EP #74 - Startup Of The Week: onCyt

EP #74 - Startup Of The Week: onCyt

Timestamps: 3:16 - What problem does onCyt solve? 11:50 - Possible competitors for onCyt 20:44 - Fundraising horizon About Michael and onCyt: OnCyt, a startup offering microbial monitoring, emerged from Michael Besmer’s PhD at ETH Zurich. He assembled a team of co-founders from a diversity of backgrounds including engineering and business development. After 3 years, the team is already looking back on 20+ successful projects and over 800k CHF in revenue. Don’t forget to give us a follow on our

May 24, 2020 • 26:52

EP #73 - Katja Berlinger: Successful Boards of Directors

EP #73 - Katja Berlinger: Successful Boards of Directors

Timestamps: 1:47 - What do Swiss startups often get wrong with boards of directors? 6:00 - What different skills need to be present in a board of directors? 12:06 - How to best compensate your board 18:52 - How can a board help your startup achieve success? 23:05 - How should a startup collaborate with a board? The Episode In 60 Seconds Setting up your Board of Directors - the right way. The right composition Get diversity of perspectives and skills, be sure you cover at least: legal, finance

May 20, 2020 • 35:21

EP #72 - Startup of the Week: Helio

EP #72 - Startup of the Week: Helio

Timestamps: 1:36 - What motivated Kevin to start his own company? 7:50 - What milestones has Kevin's startup recently achieved? 11:29 - Tough challenges to overcome About Kevin and Helio: Kevin Häfeli is the co-founder of Helio, a platform to connect demand and supply of computing power. He started Helio in 2018 together with Christoph Buchli. Previously, he worked as a DevOps engineer at Zatoo and Snowflake Productions and co-founded the e-commerce venture Brandeer Sports. Don’t forget to giv

May 17, 2020 • 19:12

EP #71 - Katja Berlinger: How Passion Leads To Success

EP #71 - Katja Berlinger: How Passion Leads To Success

Timestamps: 2:00 - Going from journalism, to law, to business 13:22 - Being the youngest board member around 20:00 - Determining founding values 27:32 - Finding the balance between commitment and change 36:16 - Having a stay at home husband About Katja Berlinger: Katja Berlinger is the CEO of Swiss Medi Kids and a professional board member. Katja started out as a journalist at the publication “Cash”. She quickly realized that she’d rather have an impact herself than write about people who do. C

May 13, 2020 • 50:27

EP #70 - Beat Brechbühl & Michèle Remund: Legal Q&A Session

EP #70 - Beat Brechbühl & Michèle Remund: Legal Q&A Session

Timestamps: 2:17 - Where can startups get help during the corona crisis? 3:11 - What legal aspects do Swiss startups not pay enough attention to? 6:52 - Will copy pasting terms and conditions save me legal fees? 08:01 - How do I best deal with liability and risk? 09:05 - What should online shops address before going live? 11:10 - Can geographic names be used to name products? 17:53 - How will the corona crisis affect valuations? 20:25 - Founder-friendly ways of writing shareholder agreements 25:

May 6, 2020 • 46:23

EP #69 - Ariel Lüdi: Managing The Exit

EP #69 - Ariel Lüdi: Managing The Exit

Timestamps: 1:44 - What mistakes do Swiss founders repeatedly make, when it comes to exits? 11:55 - Coping with stress and pressure 21:50 - Always striving for the next level 32:18 - Knowing what your company is worth 40:32 - Achieving billion dollar exits The Episode In 60 Seconds Dream Big – Sell Big Swiss people have a tendency to sell themselves and their business short. Instead of going for the billion dollar deal, they settle for the first offer which comes their way. Dare to be great a

Apr 29, 2020 • 49:03

EP #68 - Ariel Lüdi: How To Sell a Company For 1.5bn $

EP #68 - Ariel Lüdi: How To Sell a Company For 1.5bn $

Timestamps: 11:31 - Scaling from 0 to 150 million in revenue within 6 years 23:23 - Why not just enjoy a billionaire fortune? 35:08 - Closing an intercontinental gap 43:50 - Ariel's most surreally successful moment 52:34 - Being the "anti-venture capitalist" About Ariel Lüdi: Ariel Lüdi is a parachute stuntman turned millionaire. After dropping out of his physics degree at ETH Zurich, Ariel joined IBM as a developer. From there he joined Oracle, where he discovered his passion and talent for sa

Apr 22, 2020 • 1:16:01

EP #67 - Tanja Lau: Q&A On Raising Kids And Growing A Startup

EP #67 - Tanja Lau: Q&A On Raising Kids And Growing A Startup

Timestamps: 2:05 - Managing a work-life balance 3:42 - Missing half of your own wedding 8:00 - Finding out what's really important 14:08 - Preparing for motherhood 18:19 - Finding a challenging part-time job 20:55 - Why not a corporate career? 29:57 - The role of Tanja's husband 32:43 - How to split parenting responsibilities 40:23 - Swiss women in leadership positions 46:05 - What does motherhood teach you about business? About Tanja Lau: Tanja Lau is an experienced entrepreneur and the founde

Apr 15, 2020 • 50:07

EP #66 - Philipp Stauffer: Is Silicon Valley the Promised Land for Startups?

EP #66 - Philipp Stauffer: Is Silicon Valley the Promised Land for Startups?

Timestamps: 1:52 - What mistakes do Swiss startups make when it comes to moving to Silicon Valley? 16:02 - When should you not go to the Valley? 29:56 - Hiring the right sales person 32:28 - Tackling the PR and marketing game 43:23 - What shocks Swiss companies when they come to the US? The Episode In 60 Seconds Competing with Silicon Valley Startups – what to expect Switzerland is generally strong in research and not so strong in productization and marketing. Be aware of this and give your a

Apr 8, 2020 • 57:56

EP #65 - Philipp Stauffer: Greed For Good

EP #65 - Philipp Stauffer: Greed For Good

Timestamps: 2:10 - Where does Philipp's entrepreneurial spirit come from? 15:31 - Getting an American green card during the 9/11 era 24:23 - When a mission-driven company fails 34:18 - The 1/1/1 program 48:40 - How can young people find their mission? About Philipp Stauffer: Philipp Stauffer is the co-founder of and Managing Partner at FYRFLY, an early stage technology venture firm. Amongst their former and current portfolio companies are Beekeeper, Philz Coffee and AngelList. Prior to becoming

Apr 1, 2020 • 1:03:50

EP #64 - Daniel Sandmeier: The Financial Matchmaker

EP #64 - Daniel Sandmeier: The Financial Matchmaker

Timestamps: 2:13 - How does a corporate career give an entrepreneur the upper hand? 11:28 - The lender-borrower ratio 20:12 - Switching work flows 27:38 - Developing the user interface 28:29 - Plans for the future About Daniel Sandmeier: Daniel Sandmeier is the CEO of Instimatch, a platform for digitizing money markets. Instimatch was named “Growth Startup Of The Year” at the Swiss Fintech Awards 2020. Before joining Instimatch, Daniel had spent 12 years at Credit Suisse and over 2 decades in b

Mar 25, 2020 • 38:01

EP #63 - Andreas Iten: When Startups and Corporates Team Up

EP #63 - Andreas Iten: When Startups and Corporates Team Up

Timestamps: 2:15 - Why does a large corporation decide to get involved with startups? 11:26 - What F10 brings to startups 23:15 - How can startups and corporates succeed together? 25:35 - How to convince opponents 33:40 - How else does Andreas help startups? About Andreas Iten: Andreas Iten is the co-founder of F10 FinTech Incubator & Accelerator and also the head at SIX FinTech Ventures. He has worked for over 15 years within leading institutions in the IT service, airline & transporta

Mar 18, 2020 • 40:55

EP #62 - Dorian Selz: Internationalization

EP #62 - Dorian Selz: Internationalization

Timestamps: 2:34 - What do Swiss startups get wrong, when it comes to internationalization? 14:11 - How to organize a team 19:32 - The role of fundraising in internationalization 30:55 - How to manage a successful partnership 40:15 - Risk assessment in Europe vs in the US The Episode In 60 Seconds Getting the timing right Rather than going and planting a flag abroad, consider letting your customers lead the way. Wherever you find a “big fish”, find an agreement to localize for them. Finding

Mar 11, 2020 • 48:53

EP #61 - Dorian Selz: Getting to 50 million In Revenue Within 2 Years

EP #61 - Dorian Selz: Getting to 50 million In Revenue Within 2 Years

Timestamps: 7:26 - How Dorian found the right team 23:48 - Going from 0 to 50 million in revenue within 2 years 29:58 - Why leave a hugely successful company? 40:14 - When's the right time to launch a certain product in the market? 47:05 - Starting an A.I. business About Dorian Selz: Dorian is the founder of local.ch, Switzerland’s leading local search platform which he grew to >$50M revenues in 4 years. Today he is co-founder and CEO Squirro.com, a personal digital research assistant. The c

Mar 4, 2020 • 1:05:42

EP #60 - Christian Burger: Q&A On Organizational Setup For Startups

EP #60 - Christian Burger: Q&A On Organizational Setup For Startups

Timestamps 2:45 - Do I need a co-founder? When is it absolutely essential to get one? 4:15 - How to get to the right organizational set-up 9:47 - What's a good vision for a company? 16:59 - How small is a lean startup? What are the advantages? 18:42 - How do I find the right people? 30:09 - Should you work with freelancers? Can you onboard them later on? 32:16 - Getting an inexpensive, rockstar team for you startup 33:55 - Should every employee get stock options? 36:28 - What role do team meetin

Feb 26, 2020 • 56:48

EP #59 - Manuel Grenacher: How To Grow Your B2B Business

EP #59 - Manuel Grenacher: How To Grow Your B2B Business

Timestamps 2:10 - What mistakes do you see Swiss startups make repeatedly when it comes to growth and scale? 11:27 - How to manage distribution partners 17:28 - Marketing and customer service: can you handle it remotely? 22:30 - Challenges of scaling up 31:56 - What role does company culture play when it comes to scaling? The Episode In 60 Seconds Getting the basics right Don’t underestimate how long it will take you to build sales channels. Invest time into developing them at the same time a

Feb 19, 2020 • 44:48

EP #58 - Manuel Grenacher: A Swiss Serial Entrepreneur

EP #58 - Manuel Grenacher: A Swiss Serial Entrepreneur

Timestamps: 2:24 - Going from founder to employee 17:36 - How doing an apprenticeship helped him with his startup 33:19 - Building an international brand 38:57 - Starting a spin off of his own company 47:42 - Manuel Grenacher's future plans About Manuel Grenacher: Manuel Grenacher is the founder and fmr. CEO of Coresystems, a cloud solution that helps companies to source and coordinate technicians for customer service. In 2017, Siemens decided to use Coresystems to digitize their global custome

Feb 12, 2020 • 58:48

EP #57 - Jutta Jertrum: How To Bootstrap

EP #57 - Jutta Jertrum: How To Bootstrap

Timestamps 2:24 - Why choose bootstrapping? 16:10 - Time management 25:21 - How to frame your product 33:12 - Getting a product into stores 42:57 - Should you go for paid marketing? The Episode In 60 Seconds Thinking about bootstrapping? Jutta Jertrum has done it and here are some of the points to consider: Trade-offs Bootstrapping usually means higher independence in exchange for fast growth. It may take longer until you pay yourself a salary, since any money comes directly out of the compa

Feb 5, 2020 • 52:30

EP #56 - Jutta Jertrum: The Eco-Friendly One Woman Show

EP #56 - Jutta Jertrum: The Eco-Friendly One Woman Show

Timestamps: 3:18 - Why did Jutta start her own business? 12:19 - How to choose the right company to work with 20:00 - Taking care of logistics 31:42 - Blacking out on live TV 39:10 - Did Jutta sign the contract with the sharks? About Jutta Jertrum: Jutta Jertum is the inventor and owner of Twist Out, an ecological drain cleaning device. Jutta was the General Manager at the Castle Rapperswil when she discovered that she could clean her clogged drains more ecologically and effectively using a woo

Jan 29, 2020 • 48:59

EP #55 - Thomas Brändle: Financial Advice For Later Stage Startups

EP #55 - Thomas Brändle: Financial Advice For Later Stage Startups

Timestamps: 2:15 - The early days of Run My Accounts 11:14 - The challenges of growing organically 26:21 - Early-stage financial tasks 40:11 - What accounting software should you use? 53:20 - How does pricing affect liquidity and cashflow? The Episode In 60 Seconds Getting your finances right. In the beginning: There is no point waiting with signing up to VAT, if you go over the threshold of 150k revenue in a year, it is already too late and will be painful to catch up. You can, howe

Jan 22, 2020 • 1:06:48

EP #54 - Boris Räber & Alexander Eichhorn: Legal Advice For Later-Stage Startups

EP #54 - Boris Räber & Alexander Eichhorn: Legal Advice For Later-Stage Startups

Timestamps 1:58 - From a legal aspect, what scaling mistakes do Swiss startups make repeatedly? 10:30 - Convertible loans or capital increase? 21:21 - How to handle non-compete clauses 33:10 - What startups should me more aware of 38:14 - Taxes for startups The Episode In 60 Seconds Just like your apartment, your company needs some basic housekeeping in order to avoid descending into chaos. Financing rounds It’s not advisable to negotiate your term sheet without a lawyer if you don’t have pre

Jan 15, 2020 • 1:01:44

EP #53 - Carole Ackermann: Q&A on How To Win Business Angels Over As Investors

EP #53 - Carole Ackermann: Q&A on How To Win Business Angels Over As Investors

Timestamps 2:00 - Why aren't business angels just called "investors"? 5:17 - What's the best time to approach a business angel? 13:50 - How to convince a business angel to invest in an early-stage idea 16:36 - The relevance of a team 21:19 - What KPI does Carole use to assess a product's market? 26:21 - Education or experience? 31:32 - How much of business decisions is gut feeling and how much comes from thorough analysis? 35:59 - How to read a business angel's intentions 39:07 - How much money

Jan 8, 2020 • 1:01:25

EP #52 - Marc P. Bernegger: Selling 2 Companies And Doing An IPO

EP #52 - Marc P. Bernegger: Selling 2 Companies And Doing An IPO

Timestamps 1:33 - What mistakes do Swiss startups make repeatedly when it comes to their exit? 13:44 - Keeping investors satisfied 22:50 - What founders get from an exit 30:57 - When should you sell your company? 33:28 - Requirements for trade sale exit The Episode In 60 Seconds Finding the right exit strategy for you and your company. Getting the basics right Look beyond Switzerland for potential buyers If you can, get help from specialized M&A boutiques Broaden your shareholder base t

Jan 1, 2020 • 49:34

EP#51 - Marc P. Bernegger: Meeting Mark Zuckerberg

EP#51 - Marc P. Bernegger: Meeting Mark Zuckerberg

Timestamps: 1:28 - Selling his first company at 28 years old 20:10 - Staying healthy while working 6 days/week 24:56 - How did Marc meet Mark Zuckerberg? 45:56 - The bitcoin crash of late 2018 49:11 - The future of blockchain technology About Marc P. Bernegger: Marc P. Bernegger is the founder of usgang.ch, a nightlife platform, and Amiando, a ticketing system for events. Marc started usgang.ch in 1999 when he was 20 years old and sold it to Axel Springer in 2008. In 2006, he co-founded Amiando

Dec 25, 2019 • 57:34

EP #50 - Patrick Thevoz: How To Build A Global Company From Day One

EP #50 - Patrick Thevoz: How To Build A Global Company From Day One

Timestamps: 3:05 - How did a corporate background help Patrick with Flyability? 8:26 - Where is the drone industry headed? 21:06 - Maintaining good communication with testing groups 32:35 - When an investor questions him/herself on what could go wrong 38:08 - How to hire the right people to grow your company About Patrick Thevoz: Patrick Thevoz is Co-founder and CEO of Flyability, a company specialized in commercial indoor drones. During his time at Fyability, the company grew from 2 to over 60

Dec 18, 2019 • 49:25

EP #49 - Monique Morrow: Why Trust Matters To Businesses Of All Sizes

EP #49 - Monique Morrow: Why Trust Matters To Businesses Of All Sizes

Timestamps: 2:13 - Why leave a corporate job? 7:34 - How big players make money with your data 14:14 - When did the big breach in data protection happen? 18:58 - What is a responsible way to conduct oneself on social media? 22:52 - Are people aware of the seriousness of the situation? About Monique Morrow: Monique Morrow spent 16 years at Cisco, where she became the company’s first Services CTO and spearheaded Cisco’s transition to services as the core piece of their offerings portfolio. After

Dec 11, 2019 • 34:47

EP #48 - Michael Friedrich: How To Successfully Handle Competition

EP #48 - Michael Friedrich: How To Successfully Handle Competition

Timestamps: 0:33 - What mistakes do Swiss founders repeatedly make when it comes to competition? 15:54 - How to succeed in a tough competitor situation 20:00 - Getting Switzerland on the American investor map 29:03 - Two types of customers 40:46 - Knowing when to get out The Episode In 60 Seconds Know your competitive landscape Keep in mind that most tech products compete on a global scale Take a holistic view: the same needs can be met with different approaches. They are still your competit

Dec 5, 2019 • 49:16

EP #47 - Michael Friedrich: How To Win As An Underdog

EP #47 - Michael Friedrich: How To Win As An Underdog

Timestamps: 1:52 - Should making an exit always be the goal in creating a startup? 12:00 - Entrepreneurship in the medical field 22:15 - Selling a second company for $12.5 million 31:36 - Do founders grow out of their role? 36:53 - The power of a network About Michael Friedrich: Michael Friedrich is the CEO of Distalmotion, a medical device company specialized in robots for minimally invasive surgery. Michael started his first venture as a 16-year-old teenager during high scho

Nov 27, 2019 • 44:35

EP #46 - Cris Grossmann: Fundraising For Growth

EP #46 - Cris Grossmann: Fundraising For Growth

Timestamps: 2:06 - What mistakes do Swiss startups make repeatedly when it comes to funding for growth? 11:43 - How to find investors 24:06 - Turning down a $ 10 million investment offer 30:47 - How to go about evaluation 40:50 - When to start the fundraising process The Episode In 60 Seconds The four phases of fundraising. Phase 1: Preparation Start preparations either in early September or in January, as to not hit the VCs’ winter or summer break. Don’t waste your time talking

Nov 20, 2019 • 48:24

EP #45 - Cris Grossmann: Building the fastest growing startup in Switzerland

EP #45 - Cris Grossmann: Building the fastest growing startup in Switzerland

Timestamps: 2:40 - Running a business in Switzerland vs in Mexico 10:23 - The early days of Spocal 21:55 - Raising 50k 35:40 - Figuring out pricing 39:15 - When to scale up About Cristian Grossmann: Cristian Grossmann is the CEO and co-founder at Beekeeper, a software company which allows businesses to easily communicate with their non-desk workforce. Cristian was born in Mexico City, to a Mexican-Swiss family. He left Mexico as a teenager to pursue a degree in Chemical Engineering at ETH Zuric

Nov 13, 2019 • 53:50

EP #44 - Emile de Rijk: Building A Business In Outer Space

EP #44 - Emile de Rijk: Building A Business In Outer Space

Timestamps: 2:44 - The story behind the name "Swissto12" 7:50 - Identifying and solving problems 11:17 - Switching markets 21:00 - Convincing customers 27:04 - Emile's plans for the funds he raised. About Emile de Rijk: Emile de Rijk is the co-founder and CEO of Swissto12, a high-tech company which specializes in the 3D printing of radio frequency products based on its own patented technology. The company’s technology originated from Emil’s PhD thesis at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technolog

Nov 6, 2019 • 30:07

EP #43 - Nicolas Bürer: Q&A on Accelerators & Incubators In Switzerland

EP #43 - Nicolas Bürer: Q&A on Accelerators & Incubators In Switzerland

Timestamps 2:07 - What's the difference between an accelerator and an incubator? 3:14 - Are accelerators and incubators worth it? 4:10 - When should you reach out to accelerators and incubators? 5:55 - Do certain business types have more of a chance with investors? 7:48 - What do accelerators and incubators deliver to you as a startup? 11:11 - Do accelerators and incubators even do anything? 13:04 - Which famous Swiss companies have been part of an accelerator or an incubator? 14:19 - Where to f

Oct 30, 2019 • 35:59

EP #42 - Andreas Fischler: How To Scale Your Company Culture

EP #42 - Andreas Fischler: How To Scale Your Company Culture

Timestamps: 1:46 - What mistakes do Swiss startups make repeatedly when it comes to culture? 9:01 - The difficulties of creating a culture 12:58 - Important values 20:00 - Scaling company culture: recruiting & on-boarding 35:40 - Treating people fairly The Episode In 60 Seconds It’s never too early Create culture with intention from the very beginning. Start explicitly documenting and “negotiating” your culture as soon as you grow to 10 people or more. Scaling culture Hiring the right peo

Oct 23, 2019 • 49:11

EP #41 - Andreas Fischler: From Consulting Partner To Startup CEO

EP #41 - Andreas Fischler: From Consulting Partner To Startup CEO

Timestamps: 2:07 - Leaving a consulting firm 17:07 - Starting at Frontify 28:00 - Growing a company from 0 to 75k users 32:55 - Splitting development costs with his first client 36:40 - How self-explanatory products support customer growth About Andreas Fischler: Andreas Fischler is the co-founder of and former CEO at Frontify, which offers cloud software for brand management. During his time at Frontify, the company grew from 2 to over 70 employees. Before joining Frontify, he was a partner at

Oct 16, 2019 • 49:26

EP #40 - Andri Silberschmidt: Q&A on Starting a Company in Zurich

EP #40 - Andri Silberschmidt: Q&A on Starting a Company in Zurich

Timestamps 2:33 - Where can I find some good templates to set up my company in Zurich? 3:30 - How do I hire someone in Zurich? 5:49 - What's the most successful startup that was started in Zurich? 7:19 - Mistakes to avoid when starting a company in Zurich 10:14 - Living costs in Zurich 11:56 - Finding co-founders in Zurich 15:13 - Affordable office space in Zurich 17:48 - Looking for investment in Zurich 19:33 - How to get advisors on board 21:46 - Why start a business in Zurich? 25:08 - How sta

Oct 10, 2019 • 52:53

EP #39 - Estefanía Tapias: The State Of Female Entrepreneurship In Switzerland

EP #39 - Estefanía Tapias: The State Of Female Entrepreneurship In Switzerland

Timestamps: 8:02 - Should military service be mandatory for women? 12:19 - Growing up with 3 sisters and an entrepreneurial mom 18:35 - The women quota 20:58 - How can men support women? 27:18 - How do we get more women in leadership positions? The Episode In 60 Seconds What drives inequality in Switzerland? Historical factors such as the absence of a total war which shook up societal structures in other European countries. Expensive childcare and unequal career development paths Venture ca

Oct 2, 2019 • 38:55

EP #38 - Estefanía Tapias: How To Hustle In Switzerland

EP #38 - Estefanía Tapias: How To Hustle In Switzerland

Timestamps: 2:26 - Why Estefania left research to start her own company 10:35 - Growing up in an entrepeneurial family 21:27 - If you're gonna fail, fail fast. 30:18 - How Estefania went about looking for a location 35:19 - How Estefania structures negotiations About Estefanía Tapias: Estefanía Tapias is the CEO and Co-Founder of WeSpace, a community, workspace and digital platform that nurtures female leadership and innovation, having opened its doors in Zurich in 2018. Estefaní

Sep 25, 2019 • 44:25

EP #37 - Michael Born: Q&A On Co-Founders

EP #37 - Michael Born: Q&A On Co-Founders

Timestamps 1:49 – Do I need a co-founder at all? 2:57 – At what stage should you look for co-founders? 3:48 – Is there an ideal number of co-founders? 5:25 – Where do I find my co-founders? 6:52 – Friends/family as co-founders: yay or nay? 8:06 – Is it necessary to have previously known your co-founder? 10:45 – Does my co-founder need to be geographically close? 11:49 – What is a good test to figure out if a team works well? 14:32 – Should my co-founder be similar to me or completely different?

Sep 18, 2019 • 39:53

EP #36 - Markus Okumus: How To Hire And Manage Your Startup Team

EP #36 - Markus Okumus: How To Hire And Manage Your Startup Team

Timestamps: 1:49 - What mistakes do Swiss startups make repeatedly when it comes to hiring and managing people? 13:08 - The diversity question 25:48 - Good startup communication 44:47 - How to strengthen your gut feeling, in terms of hiring 49:44 - Should you hire friends and family? The Episode In 60 Seconds People can be an organization’s biggest asset but also one of their greatest pain points. Here are some of Markus Okumus’ key takeaways: Attracting talent In the early stages of a compan

Sep 12, 2019 • 56:50

EP #35 - Markus Okumus: An Entrepreneur’s Secrets To Selling Two Startups

EP #35 - Markus Okumus: An Entrepreneur’s Secrets To Selling Two Startups

Timestamps 1:53  - How Markus got involved with students.ch 21:49 - How to manage several business at the same time 25:13 - How to scale up very fast 38:25 - Why Markus started his investment company 47:12 - When should you actually move your startup to San Francisco About Markus Okumus: Markus Okumus is a serial entrepreneur with two successful exits in Switzerland. In 2007, his first venture, students.ch (part of Amiado Group) was acquired by Axel Springer. Only a year later, he started Fashi

Sep 5, 2019 • 56:15

EP #34 - Pascal Mathis: Q&A About Early-Stage Fundraising

EP #34 - Pascal Mathis: Q&A About Early-Stage Fundraising

Timestamps 1:53 – What are some questions every founder should ask themselves before fundraising? 4:13 – How do you determine what is smart money for your business? 5:08 – When is the ideal time to find investors (not FFF)? 6:08 – After how much revenue did you start to look for investors? 9:17 – How can I estimate how much my startup is worth before starting the first financing round? 11:21 – What if you get a down round? 11:54 – How can you get your foot in the door with a potential investor?

Aug 28, 2019 • 35:51

EP #33 - Alex Fries: Your Jobs As A Startup CEO

EP #33 - Alex Fries: Your Jobs As A Startup CEO

Timestamps 2:43 - Why start a company in Switzerland after studying in the US 10:00 - How to scale up in 3 years 22:15 - From founder to investor 31:37 - What the entrepreneurial spirit should be like 36:58 - Is age a factor? The Episode In 60 Seconds The role of a startup CEO is challenging and ever-changing. These are some of the tasks you should be ready to tackle in the initial stages of your company: Early stage Fundraising Getting the money to grow your company will

Aug 21, 2019 • 38:35

EP #32 - Alex Fries: Selling Two Startups For Several $100m In The Same Year

EP #32 - Alex Fries: Selling Two Startups For Several $100m In The Same Year

Timestamps: 2:03 - Why start a company in Switzerland after studying in the U.S.? 9:15 - How to scale up within 3 years 21:22 - Going from founder to investor 30:42 - What the entrepreneurial spirit should be like 35:58 - Is age a factor, in the startup world? About Alex Fries: Originally from the Swiss Canton of Graubunden, Alexander Fries moved to San Francisco in 2002 in connection with a tech startup (SVOX AG) he had co-founded in Switzerland. Today, Alex is one of the most renowned Swiss v

Aug 14, 2019 • 45:40

EP #31 - Frank Thelen: From Failure To Success

EP #31 - Frank Thelen: From Failure To Success

Timestamps: 1:54 - Going bankrupt as a young adult 12:18 - Key values for founders 15:39 - When to drop a business venture 17:23 - VC funding or bootstrapping? 18:55 - Europe's role in the global startup scene About Frank Thelen: Frank Thelen is the Co-Founder and CEO of Freigeist Capital (formerly e42). He is however best known for his role on “Höhle der Löwen”, a German reality TV program where founders pitch to senior venture capitalists for fundraising. Since the early 90’s, he has fo

Jul 23, 2019 • 26:51

EP #30 - Renato Stalder: Financial Advice For Early Stage Startups

EP #30 - Renato Stalder: Financial Advice For Early Stage Startups

Timestamps 1:53 - What mistakes do Swiss Startups make repeatedly regarding their finances?  4:11 - When should you decide to hand your accounting to someone else?  16:05 - Insurances, deductions and fees to take into account  34:06- What to do when a customer doesn't pay the invoice  44:05 - Where to find the right financial partners The Episode In 60 Seconds When it comes to finances, the mantra is “never procrastinate”. Here are the most important points to start off on the right foot: VAT (

Jul 16, 2019 • 55:58

EP #29 - Christian Meisser: Legal Advice For Early Stage Startups

EP #29 - Christian Meisser: Legal Advice For Early Stage Startups

Timestamps: 1:50 - What mistakes do Swiss startups make repeatedly when it comes to the legal aspect? 10:54 - How to get out of a tricky contract 26:30 - How to handle investors 40:00 - HR: attracting and retaining talent 48:50 - Should you have a strong legal partner on your side? The Episode In 60 Seconds There are 5 legal areas every startup should have covered: Corporate law Have a clear agreement in place of how the departure of a co-founder would be handled. Critically look at sharehol

Jul 3, 2019 • 1:10:32

EP #28 - Iman Nahvi: B2B Marketing Framework For Startups

EP #28 - Iman Nahvi: B2B Marketing Framework For Startups

Timestamps: 2:10 - Mistakes Swiss founders make repeatedly when it comes to B2B Sales 12:37 - How to determine your target clients 22:22 - Where to look for leads 36:20 - How to close a deal faster  42:43 - What KPIs to focus on About Iman Nahvi: Iman Nahvi is the co-founder and CEO of Advertima, a company which uses AI for consumer engagement on physical channels. At Advertima, Iman implemented a holocratic organisational structure, meaning (among other things) equal pay for all employees and

Jun 18, 2019 • 51:50

EP #27 - Iman Nahvi: From Family Business To Multi-million Startup

EP #27 - Iman Nahvi: From Family Business To Multi-million Startup

Timestamps: 2:26 - Should you start a business with a family member? 4:33 - Why Iman went from banking to entrepreneurship 20:50 - How Iman chooses his employees 28:40 - Paying every employee the same salary 33:11- Employee stock option pools About Iman Nahvi: Iman Nahvi is the co-founder and CEO of Advertima, a company which uses AI for consumer engagement on physical channels. At Advertima, Iman implemented a holocratic organisational structure, meaning (among other things) equal pay for

Jun 4, 2019 • 41:24

EP #26 - Alan Frei: B2C Marketing Framework for Startups

EP #26 - Alan Frei: B2C Marketing Framework for Startups

Timestamps 1:23 - What mistakes do Swiss founders repeatedly make when it comes to B2C marketing? 11:00 - Investing in auto-marketing activities 14:04 - Improving conversion rate 21:02 - Best tools for marketing 29:18 - The marketing channel of the future About Alan Frei: Alan Frei is the co-founder of amorana.ch, an e-commerce platform for sex toys and lingerie. Before starting Amorana, he experimented with a variety of other projects such as nachhilfeportal.de and LooksOfLove, fro

May 21, 2019 • 32:29

EP #25 - Alan Frei: How To Build A Successful Multimillion E-Commerce Startup

EP #25 - Alan Frei: How To Build A Successful Multimillion E-Commerce Startup

Timestamps 1:32 - What can the Swiss startup ecosystem learn from the Chinese one? 12:10 - The importance of having the right focus 16:20 - How Alan's father being an entrepreneur influenced him 20:57 - Does minimalism bring happiness? 26:34 - The role of the social circle when it comes to personal growth and support About Alan Frei: Alan Frei is the co-founder of amorana.ch, an e-commerce platform for sex toys and lingerie. Before starting Amorana, he experimented with a variety of othe

May 7, 2019 • 41:36

EP #24 - Daniel Gutenberg: How To Fundraise As An Early Stage Startup

EP #24 - Daniel Gutenberg: How To Fundraise As An Early Stage Startup

Timestamps: 1:15 - Mistakes Swiss founders make repeatedly. 4:20 - How to find the right evaluation. 09:58 - How much money should an early-stage company raise? 21:47 - How should a startup team deal with an investor? 29:12 - How often does Daniel check-in with his investments? About Daniel Gutenberg: Finding unicorns before they have 10 employees is his ambition. Daniel Gutenberg is one of Switzerland’s most active Venture Capitalists and Angel Investors. During his career he’s collected a tot

Apr 17, 2019 • 34:48

EP #23 - Daniel Gutenberg: One Man, Twelve Unicorns – And Still Counting

EP #23 - Daniel Gutenberg: One Man, Twelve Unicorns – And Still Counting

Timestamps 2:55 - How he started his first company 14:28 - His first successful exit 19:00 - Being a Venture Capitalist and an Angel Investor at the same time 27:40 - What are the characteristics of a Unicorn CEO? 39:33 - The future of blockchain technology and crypto assets in general About Daniel Gutenberg: Finding unicorns before they have 10 employees is his ambition. Daniel Gutenberg is one of Switzerland’s most active Venture Capitalists and Angel Investors. During his career he’s collect

Apr 2, 2019 • 42:36

EP #22 - Herbert Bay: How To Build a Great Product

EP #22 - Herbert Bay: How To Build a Great Product

Timestamps 1:19 - Mistakes Swiss startups repeatedly make when creating a product 10:03 - How long does it take to build a great tech product? 12:44 - How to acquire customers 17:46 - Bringing new technology to Switzerland 26:22 - What makes a great product? About Herbert Bay: Herbert is the co-founder of Kooaba, an image recognition program which he successfully sold to Qualcomm in 2014. Following his successful exit, he embarked on a sailing trip from France to New Zealand togethe

Mar 19, 2019 • 35:56

EP #21 - Herbert Bay: Selling a Company and Sailing Around The World

EP #21 - Herbert Bay: Selling a Company and Sailing Around The World

Timestamps: 1:20 - What made Herbert Bay become an entrepreneur. 5:40 - Having two technical founders; dealing with lack of business knowledge. 7:30 - Raising 10 million dollars. 12:25 - How Herbert dealt with a difficult time in his life; what he learnt. 24:57 - Managing a company from a distance. About Herbert Bay: Herbert is the co-founder of Kooaba, an image recognition program which he successfully sold to Qualcomm in 2014. Following his successful exit, he embarked on a sailing trip from

Mar 5, 2019 • 35:18

EP #20 - Cédric Waldburger: What Makes a Good Startup Team

EP #20 - Cédric Waldburger: What Makes a Good Startup Team

Timestamps 1:23 - Team-related mistakes 4:50 - Giving guidance vs offering freedom to employees 7:11 - The company lifecycle 12:55 - The ideal co-founding relationship 34:25 - Sendtask and remote teams About Cédric Waldburger: Cédric is a Venture Capitalist and founder of Dfinity, Tenderloin Ventures and Sendtask. He started his first venture – Mediasign, a digital branding agency – in high school. He went on to study electrical engineering at the Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) an

Feb 19, 2019 • 50:20

EP #19 - Cédric Waldburger: Minimalism and Multitasking in the Business World

EP #19 - Cédric Waldburger: Minimalism and Multitasking in the Business World

Timestamps: 1:37 - Delivering value to 11 different projects at the same time 14:19 - How the Swiss military service supported/hindered Cédric's entrepreneurial career 20:15 - Owning only 64 things 22:52 - What is DFINITY? 34:42 - 90-day goals About Cédric Waldburger: Cédric is a Venture Capitalist and founder of Tenderloin Ventures and Sendtask. He started his first venture – Mediasign, a digital branding agency – in high school. He went on to study electrical engineering at the Federal Instit

Feb 5, 2019 • 42:21

EP #18 - Christian Hirsig: How To Find The Right Startup Idea

EP #18 - Christian Hirsig: How To Find The Right Startup Idea

Timestamps 1:30 - What mistakes do you see Swiss startup founders repeatedly make? 7:30 - How to obtain accurate feedback for your idea. 14:50 - Where to spend your time: documentation vs implementation. How to implement. The minimum viable product. 25:40 - Data gathering to evaluate the possible success of your idea. 28:12 - When to kill your idea or move on from it About Christian Hirsig: Christian is one of the co-founders of Swisspreneur.org and a passionate serial entrepreneur. He founded

Jan 16, 2019 • 37:50

EP #17 - Christian Hirsig: Founding a Coding Academy For Refugees

EP #17 - Christian Hirsig: Founding a Coding Academy For Refugees

Timestamps: 3:00 - Changes for Swisspreneur. 6:28 - Associations vs For-profit companies. 12:40 - Finding good employees. 23:25 - Growing up in an entrepreneurial family. 26:47 - When to leave a startup. About Christian Hirsig: Christian is one of the co-founders of Swisspreneur.org and a passionate serial entrepreneur. He founded his first venture — Atizo, a crowdsourcing platform for ideas — in 2007. He eventually sold the company and went on to start the consulting business and startup incub

Jan 1, 2019 • 43:46

EP #16 - Anastasia Hofmann & Naomi MacKenzie: Friends, Founders and Partners in Crime

EP #16 - Anastasia Hofmann & Naomi MacKenzie: Friends, Founders and Partners in Crime

Timestamps 2:06 - What makes a successful accelerator application 15:40 - Launching your first pilot 29:00 - Hiring and outsourcing 33:16 - Splitting shares 39:55 - Making it work without salaries About Anastasia Hofmann and Naomi MacKenzie Through her work experience in Malta, Miami Beach, Lausanne and Zurich, Anastasia developed a strong fascination for the hospitality industry. She holds a Bachelor of international hospitality management from Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne and is very interest

Feb 15, 2018 • 44:01

EP #15 - Thomas Sterchi: Creating Jobs.ch

EP #15 - Thomas Sterchi: Creating Jobs.ch

Timestamps 9:00 - Deciding who to sell to 22:52 - Retaining confidence after your first failure 36:14 - What to look for in a headhunter 41:05 - Stock option plans 52:49 - Building a company, not a startup About Thomas Sterchi: Thomas is best known as the founder of jobs.ch, an online job market platform. In 2007, he and his partner sold the venture to an American holding company for a multi-million dollar sum. Since his successful exit, Thomas has built up a diversified portfolio of proje

Nov 21, 2017 • 1:02:36

EP #14 - Rosmarie Michel: A Pioneer for Swiss Women in Business

EP #14 - Rosmarie Michel: A Pioneer for Swiss Women in Business

Timestamps 7:05 - Meeting President Reagan 21:15 - How a public speaker is born 28:12 - Skills for managing crises 34:34 - Why it's important to empower women in business 37:49 - Advice to young women About Rosmarie Michel: Rosmarie Michel, now in her eighties, looks back on a lifetime of entrepreneurship and advocacy for women in business. In the 1970s she was one of the first women to be appointed to the board of major Swiss companies such as Valora and Volksbank, which later was bought by Cr

Oct 10, 2017 • 50:02

EP #13 - Markus Popp: Success, Failure and Everything In Between

EP #13 - Markus Popp: Success, Failure and Everything In Between

Timestamp 7:54 - The importance of your economic footprint 15:36 - Realizing you've chosen the wrong strategy 27:20 - The hard parts of entrepreneurship 35:11 - Does anyone have the recipe for success? 46:29 - Advice for young entrepreneurs About Markus Popp: Markus Popp is best known as the founder of tilllate.com, a party event platform with photo gallery and community features. In 2009, Markus left tilllate.com and embarked on a half-year inspirational sabbatical. Upon his ret

Sep 5, 2017 • 0:49

EP #12 - Lea von Bidder: Talking Gender Gap in the Startup World

EP #12 - Lea von Bidder: Talking Gender Gap in the Startup World

Timestamps 2:11 - The gender gap in the Swiss startup ecosystem 18:45 - Splitting up with your co-founder and abandoning the startup 34:05 - Startup competitions: yay or nay? 42:16 - The advantage of incubators 48:12 - Choosing the right idea About Lea von Bidder: Lea is best know as the Co-founder and President of Ava Science, Inc., the company behind the Ava bracelet, the first fertility-tracking wearable device. Prior to starting Ava, Lea co-founded L’inouï, a premium chocolate producti

Aug 8, 2017 • 51:08

EP #11 - Daniel & Markus Freitag: The Bootstrapped Startup With No CEO

EP #11 - Daniel & Markus Freitag: The Bootstrapped Startup With No CEO

Timestamps 7:00 - Coming up with an initial marketing strategy 11:45 - Bootstrapping your business 16:06 - Measuring your ecological footprint 24:37 - What they look for in new employees 40:55 - How digitalization influences your business About Markus and Daniel Freitag: In 1993, graphic designers Markus and Daniel Freitag were looking for a functional, water-repellent and robust bag to hold their creative work. Inspired by the multicolored heavy traffic that rumbled through the Zurich transit

Jul 10, 2017 • 0:54

EP #10 - Adrian Locher: Succeeding Beyond Your Wildest Expectations

EP #10 - Adrian Locher: Succeeding Beyond Your Wildest Expectations

Timestamps 6:44 - What to look for in a co-founder 11:38 - When is the right time to become an entrepreneur? 31:45 - How to steer a fast growing company 36:42 - Handling bad press 44:47 - The future of AI About Adrian Locher: Adrian is best known as Founder and COO of DeinDeal.ch, an e-commerce coupons and discounts platform for products and services. Within a year of starting the business, DeinDeal.ch was the fastest growing Swiss start-up and market leader in the group buying segmen

Jun 13, 2017 • 49:40

EP #9 - Peter Schuepach: How to Pack Up and Start Again

EP #9 - Peter Schuepach: How to Pack Up and Start Again

Timestamps 3:18 - Why say no to a banking career 23:34 - Having to shut down your company 27:30 - Recovering from the crash 36:34 - Why you could not want to sell your company to Facebook 44:49 - Knowing when to move on About Peter Schuepbach: Peter Schuepbach started his entrepreneurial career as a co-founder of Miracle Software AG back in 1986 and served as its Chief Executive Officer for more than 10 years. He grew the organization in 14 years to a 350 employee software company with off

May 4, 2017 • 53:56

EP #8 - Roman Gaus: The Challenges of a Social Impact Startup

EP #8 - Roman Gaus: The Challenges of a Social Impact Startup

Timestamps 7:32 - Realizing corporate life isn't for you 28:32 - Hiring strategies 32:57 - Handling divergent expectations within the company 45:14 - Setting and changing targets 49:17 - Work-life balance About Roman Gaus: Roman is best known as the Founder and CEO of UrbanFarmers, a company dedicated to building commercial food production systems in and around cities. Together with Andreas Graber, he has developed UrbanFarmers’ vision how food could be grown in an urban space at a large scale.

Apr 4, 2017 • 57:35

EP #7 - André Borschberg: The Startup That Flew A Solar Powered Plane Around the Globe

EP #7 - André Borschberg: The Startup That Flew A Solar Powered Plane Around the Globe

Timestamps 7:45 - What André learned from being a fighter pilot in the Swiss army 11:26 - What young people should do to prepare for an entrepreneurial career 19:24 - What a great team looks like 28:48 - How to deal with risk 31:17 - Dealing with crises About André Borschberg: André Borschberg is best known as the CEO, co-founder and pilot of Solar Impulse: the enterprise that, under his guidance, built a solar-powered plane that broke the world record for the longest solo flight in a

Mar 7, 2017 • 48:26

EP #6 - Alisée de Tonnac: Creating a Global Startup Initiative

EP #6 - Alisée de Tonnac: Creating a Global Startup Initiative

Timestamps 0:40 - The concept of Seedspaces and co-habitation 14:23 - Things to consider when picking a co-founder 17:09 - The importance of recruiting 22:43 - Operating across different cultures 31:45 - Advice to female entrepreneurs About Alisée de Tonnac: Alisée de Tonnac is the Founder and CEO of Seedstars, an investment firm building and investing in tech companies in 60+ emerging markets. After traveling for a year around the world she set up the first edition of Seedstars in 20

Feb 7, 2017 • 50:17

EP #5 - Daniel Graf: A Sillicon Valley Veteran

EP #5 - Daniel Graf: A Sillicon Valley Veteran

Timestamps: 8:46 - Launching a startup in 11 months 22:39 - Working at Google 32:26 - How to drive the company's culture as a CEO 37:51 - What Switzerland can learn from Silicon Valley and Berlin 41:32 - What it takes to start a company nowadays About Daniel Graf: Daniel joined Uber in 2015 as the Head of Marketplace, the team that works on Uber’s dynamic pricing model. Before joining Uber he did a short stint at Twitter as the Vice President of Consumer Product. Prior to Twitter Daniel was in

Nov 15, 2016 • 51:15

EP #4 - Toni Schneider: The Trials and Tribulations of A Startup CEO

EP #4 - Toni Schneider: The Trials and Tribulations of A Startup CEO

Timestamps 15:46 - How to build a company on open source 22:40 - Scaling Automattic with a distributed team 36:20 - Having a long-term view of your startup 44:18 - Loneliness as a startup CEO 51:13 - Creating feedback loops About Toni Schneider: Toni Schneider is a founding Partner of True Ventures. From 2006-2014 he was CEO of Automattic where he led WordPress.com to become a top 10 global internet destination with close to a billion monthly visitors. At Automattic, To

Oct 4, 2016 • 1:12:44

EP #3 - Myke Näf: From Farm Living to Founding Doodle

EP #3 - Myke Näf: From Farm Living to Founding Doodle

Timestamps 10:35 - Early days of Doodle and taking risks 16:21 - Managing growth and culture 25:18 - How to manage a product backlog 27:35 - On launching early 38:20 - Myke's productivity tips About Myke Näf: Myke Näf is the founder and former CEO of Doodle, the prominent event scheduler software. He sold the company for an undisclosed amount to Tamedia in 2014. Shortly after the acquisition he left Doodle and has become an active angel investor and startup mentor in Switzerland. He’s a Venture

Aug 30, 2016 • 43:34

EP #2 - Dania Gerhardt: The Ups and Downs of Entrepreneurship

EP #2 - Dania Gerhardt: The Ups and Downs of Entrepreneurship

Timestamps 1:06 - Why open offices in Zurich, Austin and Cape Town 5:54 - Why studying economics aids you as a CEO 21:55 - Dealing with critics 32:03 - Knowing it's time to pivot 46:25 - Founding a company with your husband/wife About Dania Gerhardt: Dania Gerhardt is the founder of Amazee Labs. She started Amazee.com in 2007 and successfully pivoted her startup to one of Switzerland’s premier Web services companies Amazee Labs. The company has offices in Zurich, Austin and

Aug 30, 2016 • 1:20:37

EP #1 - Alain Chuard: From Switzerland to the US and Back Again

EP #1 - Alain Chuard: From Switzerland to the US and Back Again

Timestamps 18:15 - How to make it work when your co-founder is your wife 28:39 - How to find product-market fit 36:24 - Selling his company Wildfire to Google 41:45 - What it's like working for Google 47:14 - The Swiss startup ecosystem About Alain Chuard: Alain Chuard is a Swiss serial entrepreneur and former professional snowboarder living in Palo Alto, California. He is best known as the founder and Chief product officer of Wildfire Interactive, the social media marketing technology company

Aug 30, 2016 • 59:31

Swisspreneur Show (Trailer)

Swisspreneur Show (Trailer)

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Aug 29, 2016 • 0:23

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